


Time and Tide

by AKSST



Category: Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cannibalism, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Abuse, Dark Harry Potter, Eating Disorders, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Hannibal and Will elope, Hannibal and Will save Harry, Hedwig (Harry Potter) Lives, Hedwig is egg mom, Hedwig saves Harry, Killer Harry, Long Term Effects of Abuse, M/M, Mating in Creature Form, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Nagini is noodle mom, Ravenstag, Suicidal Thoughts, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unhealthy Relationships, at first
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2020-10-21 07:22:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 50,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20689682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKSST/pseuds/AKSST
Summary: Inspired by A Crowned Family by sunshineglow118 https://archiveofourown.org/works/11822958/chapters/26679327Hannibal and Will fall in love in the states, both magical creatures hiding right under Jack's nose, Hannibal not only functions as a regular psychiatrist but as a mind healer in the magical realm. Will is a rare form of Legilimens, capable of using the art worldlessly, wandlessly, and without the victim being present, hence how he finds the motives for killers in the muggle world. However he is unique also in that he cannot access the thoughts of those directly around him. When he and Hannibal find a mate in one another they elope, to Europe where they find a young Harry, abused, malnourished, and decide to make a family.





	1. A Fractured Inheritance

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Crowned Family](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11822958) by [sunshineglow118](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineglow118/pseuds/sunshineglow118). 

The child was wailing again, it wailed and howled from within the dwelling the white owl had stationed herself outside of the small house in the hideous unassuming neighborhood. The owl watched helplessly as the cruel rake of a woman dragged the filthy, second hand crib outside into the backyard and went back inside leaving the child to sob miserably into the cold, heartless sky. The owl left her perch when she saw the harpy return to her house, flying down to the freezing child. She could smell the hunger on the young infant, it looked to her with miserable hope, and yet resignation, used to rejection. 

Young and small though she was, she puffed her downy feathers out as far as she could, desperately trying to warm the child. Hooting and nuzzling him gently, trying to get him to open his slim, far to dry mouth. She looked into the human eyes and she somehow knew that he was hers. Her owlet, as much as she possibly could with those awful creatures in the house. They wanted her owlet dead, as evidenced by leaving him outside to grieve in his hunger and fear all alone in the night. She would prevent that fate no matter what she had to do. 

With this determination in hand she gently coaxed his mouth open finally, hoping he wouldn’t reject the nourishment and allowed her own hard earned meant to travel down the gullet of her owlet. The baby coughed at the taste, but instinct and an aching, empty stomach kept him from spitting it out. It was nothing compared to what he needed, but it was enough that he wouldn’t starve for tonight. Not daring to leave him to hunt for more she stayed with him, giving him warmth throughout the cold dark night. The owlet stopped crying after a long time, finally, still hungry, but at least warm, feeling the first bit of love he had been given in what seemed like forever. 

The owl dared not sleep for fear of her newfound owlet passing as she did, so hungry and weak he was. She saw the dawn growing in the east, the oppressive dark slowly letting its grip be eased, allowing that it would not be taking the life of the boy that night. It was only then she felt safe enough to leave the child to hunt, never straying beyond the garden, feasting on the mice and lizards within it. Keeping none of it for herself, she knew she only had a short amount of time to feed her owlet before that hideous creature took him back inside the dwelling, she spat up as much into the boy as she could in the little time she had, knowing that no matter how much she gave the boy could not be full with how little she could produce and how much was needed. Still she tried, making many trips, the boy slurping down as much as he was given. 

The woman came back out and screeched the owl away, looking down scornfully at the boy, sneering as if to say even as a snack for the owls you fail. Dragging the crib back inside before her neighbors saw what she had done, pushing him into the cupboard under the stairs where he would grow up and shutting the door before starting her day. The owl watched every single movement, her heart breaking with every muffled cry coming from behind the door.

It would be a long many years before she could teach her owlet to fly away from here. If she managed to help him survive.

Thus begins the life of Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived.


	2. If I've Had a Friend, on this Earth, You've Been a Friend to Me

_Age Five_

Harry resisted his overwhelming urge to weep as the harsh, powerful chemicals in the soap bucket his aunt gave him burned the ever present cuts on his skin viciously. Crying would only make it worse for him, only make his aunt angrier, he dared a look out of the corner of his eye at the table above him. A very brief glance was all he dared, and he didn’t know why he looked at all, as the sight only hurt. Above him his cousin was celebrating his birthday, complete with cake, presents, hugs and kisses...everything Harry had ever dreamed of, and even now knew he would never, ever get.

Tasked with cleaning everything Dudley threw to the floor at the penalty of receiving another harsh kick to his ribs he moved as fast as he could. Harry shook as he scrubbed, so afraid of not noticing any of the tiny specs his aunt seemed so adept at finding, accusing him of laziness and calling for her husband to teach him a lesson on cutting corners on his tasks. He couldn’t see any specs but he knew they were there, looking until his eyes burned horribly, causing him to release a tear.

Harry felt it fall from his eye and then felt his throat close and his heart stop in his chest.

“Oi! What on Earth do you think you’re crying for you little brat?!” Came the wretched, tearing voice of his uncle. “If you think crying will get you out of the chores you owe us for putting up with you then you are beyond wrong!” Vernon turned in his chair so as to glare at him and point his large finger at Harry in accusation.

“We took you in, gave you the food on your plate, the clothes on your back, a roof over your head, and **this** is how you repay us?!” Came the harsh shriek of his aunt, accompanied by cruel giggling from his cousin. Harry closed his eyes tight and braced himself as he felt her shoe connect with his small ribs, ripping the breath from his lungs and sending him to his side.

Harry felt more kicks and heard more shouting, he kept his eyes closed tight, he opened them only once, to find the world growing splotchy and dark around him. He didn’t need decent sight or hold over it to see the large shape he knew was his uncle’s hand slammed down and connect to his temple.

\----------------------------------

All he understood was pain and confusion. What had he done? Why was this happening, and why to him? Harry felt the cold after the pain, he tried looking around, not sure if he couldn’t see because of the dark or because his eyes were swollen shut but able to determine he was very much alone.

Harry finally let go of the tears he held as gently and quietly as he could, not wanting to hurt his chest more and not wanting to alert anyone to his presence and earn more punishment and pain. He didn’t understand why they hated him so much, what he did to deserve this. What his cousin did to earn to opposite. Harry had tried behaving exactly like Dudley, even going so far as to say the exact words he was saying. He was beaten even worse than usual that day.

He thought of all the love and warmth that was given to his cousin, thought of how he wanted it so, so badly he could almost feel it himself. Harry saw a bit of light out of the corner of his very swollen eye, the moon coming from behind the clouds, the tears slowing now with relief, where there was moonlight warmth was not too far away and indeed there it was.

Glowing in the moonlight came the only living thing who had ever loved him, gliding soundlessly over rooftops to the space under the flowerbeds his aunt much have tossed him. The neighbors couldn’t see it and so his aunt was free to leave him there as long as she wished and Harry knew better than to make noise.

Feeling the puff of air hit him after the owl landed in front of him gave Harry the strength to tilt his head just a bit, trying to fight the sharp, burning pain in his chest. He felt the owl lay something rather large in front of him, no longer coughing it up into his mouth unless severely necessary, Harry felt a shiver of joy as he bit down hard, his mouth filling with the taste of rabbit, his favorite. As he ate more and more of the animal down he felt his strength return just a little bit, feeling the tightness in his chest leave somewhat but still creak and moan, but now he could move with no more pain than he had already gotten used to, now able to eat more voraciously, using his hands and teeth to tear at the skin to get to the organs, saving what was left of the meat for last. Biting the bones until they splintered open revealing the delicious marrow he sucked down fast, he felt his companion press against him side and preen him, giving him her own warmth as he feasted.

\---------------------------------

The owl watched her owlet as he eviscerated his meal, tonight his stomach would not groan and cause him pain she thought proudly, giving him as much of her warmth as she possibly could. She saw the bones in his chest set some on their own as his strength grew, sensing the flicker of power he had correct what damage it could, only wishing she could bring him even more. However hunting for two in an area like this was already so hard, the population only had so much to give since the humans destroyed what was here to make their own homes, creating a home was one thing, understandable at least, but to rip the Earth apart to serve your own needs, taking more than they deserved or could use… The owl would never understand the humans, and their capacity for cruelty.

Looking to her owlet to see he had finished eating and was now exhausted, she cuddled as close to him as she could, continuing to preen him with her beak, though she would never truly be able to get him clean it still felt like the right thing to do. Her owlet looked up with his large, sad eyes, and wrapped himself around her, trying to keep her warm, with no feather or even a pelt of his own he had no warmth to give, and yet still, tried to give what little he had. She felt waves of gratitude and sorrow flow through the bond she had built with him over the long long years, and felt her heart fragment… Humans could be hideously cruel she thought, watching what they had done to the world, and to her owlet, but they could also be kind…her owlet gave back though he had nothing to spare and though she felt the agony the humans put him through slowly chip away at the kindness he had, she knew that he still had compassion in his heart.

She wished she only speak to him in a way he could understand just once to tell him,

_“ I am so sorry, my love, for everything that has happened to you and for everything that is **going** to happen to you, I am so sorry I cannot change them, and I am so sorry for what they will turn you into...I am so so sorry…”_

_Age Nine_

Harry almost had a bit of peace, they had left him alone with his orders and he was nearly done, hoping he would have time to spare. Time to sneak into the spare bedroom and perhaps read one of the books his cousin threw in there in disinterest. After the Dursleys had been required to send him to school, Harry took to books like a fish to water once the school had tested his eyes. Much better at reading and with much more desire than his large oafish cousin, and not to mention that he enjoyed it, he had been forbidden from reading the books, as they weren’t his and belonged to his cousin regardless of whether or not he wanted them.

Whenever they left him alone he rushed to finish the tasks he’d been given and sneak upstairs into the bedroom and read as much as he could in the short time he had, before pretending to be cleaning the upstairs bathroom when they returned. Harry did not want to call attention to the room, and so when the Dursleys were home he pretended as though he could not even see it, once even going so far as to leave his glasses off, considering how angry the fact that he had needed them had made his aunt and uncle. That had earned him a belting for trying to pretend he couldn’t see the mess of the house and shirk his duties.

He finally yanked the very last weed out of the unsettlingly pristine garden, finally ensured every spec of dirt was in the bed, all the flowers still spaced the same perfect distance away from each other. Harry hated this garden, despite it being the only place where he got to eat and sleep with his owl, it looked like a drawing in a creepy childrens’ cartoon. Every. Last. Speck. Was meant to be in line, or there would be hell to pay. Once he saw that everything was in order he rushed inside to check the time and wash the filth on his hands, nearly making it inside before he sensed something that made him deeply uncomfortable. Nothing like the soul chilling terror of his aunt or uncle, but unnerving nonetheless. He turned and noticed a man he had never seen around here staring at the plants Harry had just been tending to, he looked up at Harry and came a false smile before he spoke.

“What a good boy you are taking such care with your Mother’s garden.” He said by way of introduction, not waiting for Harry to respond and inform him that it belonged to his aunt, barely taking note that the man was American. “And what beautiful soil, it looks so rich and healthy. May I ask what kind?”

Harry didn’t want to talk to this man, who was so rudely cutting in on his precious, limited reading time…

“It’s a mixture of hardwoods and pork manure, with some newspaper pulp to prevent root rot…” He said simply before turning to go into the house, desperate not to have any more of his time stolen, and afraid of the man before him. Closing the door tightly behind him, but not daring to lock it lest his family get mad at him for it he quickly washed his hands while staring at the clock, giving a sigh of relief. He still had an hour before his family said they were going to return, and they always returned fifteen minutes later. A whole hour, all to himself, he could almost sing with joy.

Harry raced upstairs after changing into his regular clothes instead of the gardening clothes he had to wear so as not to track dirty everywhere. Entering the room filled with dust and broken toys, and the wonderful books, as if the moment couldn’t get any better he saw the owl standing on the sill, he opened the window and pressed his face into her crop. She clicked at him fondly before holding out her leg to reveal a small, yet fat garden vole, which he took gracefully and swallowed it all at once.

This pleased her, and so he sat down beneath the sill and picked up a book he had been reading, slowly but surely whenever it was safe to do so. It was a book of fairytales, and though it was meant for small children, Harry couldn’t help but feel warm and at peace when he read the stories, the owl preening his hair above him as he did. He felt so safe, as though he was in another world, so warm and so happy in that moment.

The sound of a car door closing sent ice through his veins and in his panic he shot up to close the window, only to find it was his neighbors car. Shaking with relief he knelt back down on the floor, careful not to be seen lest the neighbors mention seeing his face in the window he tried to calm himself. He had gotten too caught up in the story, had that really been his aunt and uncle, Harry would have been in great danger. He set the book of fairytales aside, it wasn’t safe to read it if he got that absorbed in it, and so picked up another book after reassuring what the book would have him believe was his fairy godmother.

He sat back down with his new book and paged through it, his heart still pounding in his chest. It was one of the books Dudley’s overly religious Aunt Marge had sent over one Christmas, a collection of medieval saints, he thumbed through, noting here and there a few saints who’s stories intrigued him until he found one that actually interested him.

Saint Hedwig of Silesia(now Poland). Harry read about her life in the brief page or so she had been given in the book. She had spent her life, despite being born of nobility giving everything she had to the poor and sick. Harry knew many nobles of the time were selfish and cruel, keeping everything greedily to themselves, and scorning those who had nothing, even worse so for those that were unfortunate enough to fall ill. He was so moved by her story, she had built hospitals, fed the hungry, and settled disputes of power before violence and blood settled them.

Gently nipping at his ear to get his attention, Harry noted that he had to leave the room and prepare to pretend he had spent the last hour miserably cleaning. He stroked the owl in gratitude before stopping suddenly, looking at her thoughtfully as he pet her and thought of everything she meant to him...he couldn’t remember a time without her there, and couldn’t imagine his life without her. Harry knew that without her he would have long ago succumbed to death.

“Hedwig…” He said, leaning forward to give her a kiss between her eyes. “I will never be able to thank you enough for everything Hedwig, I love you.”

Harry turned and shut the window before leaving the room to start pretending he had only just finished the bathroom for when the Dursleys walked in. His mood souring instantaneously as he thought of his cousin walking into the kitchen to make a mess and his uncle furious he hadn’t yet started dinner, despite that whenever Harry did he was slapped for making something that the man didn’t want. And his aunt to putter around with her hawkish eyes, looking for even the most minuscule of mistakes in his cleaning to berate him for. Worst of all was how he hated that as soon as they put him from their minds...the would dote and love, and adore their son, his cousin. Though he had Hedwig, and he knew he should just be grateful for that, he envied Dudley, for all the love, all the food, and all the joy that he had never had to lift a finger for, let alone actually try to earn.

As the door opened and Harry left the bathroom with the cleaning bucket to see the faces of his family, the sight of perfect love and joy for each other as they hadn’t yet seen him, he felt another piece of his hard calcify and grow venomous.


	3. Oh Don't You See That Lonesome Dove?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For plot reasons I have decided not to include Abigail in this story, and so will start around episode two, but will jump around to various episodes all out of order within season one.

“I should have stuck with fixing boat motors in Louisiana.” Will said, sitting down and pressing his palms aggressively into his eyes in an attempt to ease his headache for just a moment.    
  
“A boat engine is a machine. A predictable problem, easy to solve and if you fail there’s a paddle.” Hannibal replied from across the room, pulling something out of his wardrobe to make into a drink for Will. When Will had first seen that wardrobe Hannibal had noticed Wills interest and had explained that it was a vintage victorian drawing room cabinet, leading him to think of Hannibal as even more of a pretentious prick than he previously thought. Something only proven when, to his shock, Hannibal charmed away the animal dander covering his person with a snap of his fingers. 

At first shocking Will with how brazen the man had been with his magic, having had no way of knowing Will was a wizard as well, and then with the realization that Hannibal had also cast a cleansing charm on his clothes before he could sit down. Will was shocked into being somewhat unoffended.    
  
“Isn’t magic in front of a No-Maj illegal?” Was the cleverest thing he could think of to say at the time, much to his chagrin and Hannibal’s amusement.    
  
Now here they were, Will trying to massage his screaming headache away while Hannibal brewed something or other across the room. Hannibal had learned early that Will was a natural Legillimens but had been given no training or education on the matter, this coupled with his profound empathy created the most fascinating psychological cocktail he had ever seen.    
  
“You’re supposed to be my paddle.” Will replied, his headache only sharpening.    
  
“I am your paddle.” Hannibal replied. “Drink this, it should help with your headache.”    
  
“Thank you.” Will drank the potion and breathed through his nose, grimacing at the taste but already feeling the relief leeching the pain from his skull. He sighed as he laid his head back feeling the tension he didn’t realize he had fade away. “Is this made of the mushrooms from the corpses in the FBI evidence freezer?”    
  
“Of course, I took the liberty of taking a few of each variety. It would be a shame to let them go to waste, mushrooms gifted from the dead have many magical, as well as medicinal purposes, and it is of course rare enough to find them at all, let alone so well cared for.” He replied, as though it were the most natural and logical thing in the world. “Don’t worry, I left no prints, and glitched the cameras before I apparated in.”    
  
Will couldn’t help but laugh, he may have been angry in different circumstances, but his head had ceased hurting for the first time in several weeks. Hannibal smiled at him too, Will felt a tingling coming from him, pleasure at his laugh, warmth at his company, something more perhaps, something sweeter, and something secret. He didn’t quite know what to do about it yet, knowing Hannibal knew of what he was, there was no question of what he wanted, and wanted Will to know. He just didn’t know what to do about it just yet. Some part of him still unsure and skittish, despite the evidence right there in front of him.    
  
“We still have to find out where he got the soil from. It isn’t from anywhere around Maryland or the surrounding states, and the newspaper pulp was too damaged to even find out where it came from. Beverly says the ink is what made the soil so adaptive for fungi instead of regular plants and it isn’t even made in the states.” Will felt his headache start to return, drinking more of the tea.    
  
“I take it Uncle Jack will be sending you there to find the supplier and possibly a beginners hunting ground. Maybe even a partner?”    
  
“We have a winner. Ding. Ding.  _ Ding. _ ” Will wondered if that was too bitchy even for him. It wasn’t Hannibal’s fault that Jack overworked him, in fact Hannibal had even told Jack several times on his behalf that Will needed a break. An apology was on the tip of his tongue when he felt a gentle touch on his shoulder, startling him. Opening his eyes a twitching a bit only to see Hannibal’s perfectly manicured fingernails resting on his shoulder, Will felt even guiltier now for snapping at him. “I’m sorry, Dr. Lecter, that was rude of me…”    
  
“All understandable, Will, and I promise you, the walls of this room have seen so much worse.” He replied graciously with a chuckle. “You are under an enormous amount of stress, you have not only the weight of lives lost on you but lives at risk. Your mental and emotional states both suffer, as well as your social state.”    
  
Will couldn’t help but laugh, “To be fair my social state was dead before it hit the ground.” Hannibal smiled in response.    
  
“Flippancy doesn’t suit you, William. I’ve seen you in many physical altercations, fights, showdowns, and displays of bravado. Yet I’ve never seen you in all this time receive a friendly touch. The way you flinched was very telling, far more than can be expected of surprise.”    
  
Will didn’t quite know what to say, Hannibal’s hand was still on his shoulder, and he didn’t like the way it filled him with more tension. He knew this man, trusted him, knew he would never raise a hand against him. And yet, despite the fact that the fingers were welcome on him, warm in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time, he still expected a fight somehow.”    
  
“Tell me your thoughts, Will, are you expecting pain, a fight, aggression?” He asked, ever so patiently, so sign of judgment, or condemnation. Will bit his lip, looking away as he nodded, trying to make himself feel less exposed under the eye of a man he admired so. “You’ve come to associate touch with violence, cruelty, and the competition for survival. I think perhaps if you learned how to accept comfort from touch it would help you, perhaps if you went to get a massage? It could rewire your brain into accepting friendly touch, relax your body and mind, as well as be mildly social without making a commitment to new friends when you don’t have the time or patience?”    
  
Will did laugh at that, “I don’t particularly enjoy the idea of a stranger rubbing me down and making small talk. Besides, I don’t need a massage, I feel just fi-!” His words were cut off by a moan he hadn’t had the time to hold back as Hannibal pressed his thumb into a knot on his shoulder, hearing it pop and feeling his muscles relax Will didn’t even have time to feign protest before Hannibal was gently pushing his head forward and grinding his fingers into his painfully tight neck.    
  
“Yes, clearly…” Came the smug but caring voice of his doctor.    
  
Will relaxed and all but purred under Hannibal’s ministrations, relieving pain and stress, unable and unwilling to protest for the sake of his foolish pride, allowing himself to relax and enjoy the touch of a friendly hand for once. There would be time for anxiety riddled regret later.    
  
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Hannibal had known from the first moment he had caught Will’s scent that this was his long awaited mate. His father had long ago, when he was a child told him that one day he would come across a scent so beautiful and pure that he would do anything to appease his need for it. As he had grown he had dismissed it as the tales of a father trying to get his eldest child to at last sleep and give him some peace. Having seen too much in the world at such a young age it had disillusioned him, depriving him of the hope for the perfect fit he had been promised...and yet…    
  
There he was, and underneath the smell of a raging alcoholic with a thousand dogs and poor taste in aftershave, it was there. A pull, a desire, a vicious  _ need _ , he had to stop himself from shifting and destroying Jack in a ruthless display of power to his precious mate. Hannibal knew that Will felt something too, nothing as powerful as he lacked creature status  _ for now _ , but one day, one day he will feel that same drag in his heart and soul. For now Hannibal had to work, had to earn his mate, he felt the pain Will had been put through as clearly as though it were his own distant wounds. The sting of bitterness long ago scarred over and forgotten, but part of his love all the same. Desperate to prove himself an effective mate he had started small so as not to scare the skittish man, so distant from social graces and friendship, he would have to work to even be considered a friend to start with, and so that was what he did, Hannibal started with a meal. A small breakfast, with his own kill from the previous night cooked in, he preened under the praise of his mate as well as the obvious enjoyment and nourishment provided. Slowly he earned Will’s trust, and bit by bit he pushed his mate farther into the only direction nature had given for either of them.    
  
Which brought them to now, Hannibal felt his blood sing and his magic glow as Will leaned forward in submission to pleasure that Hannibal not only provided but was given permission- and encouragement to continue. He pressed his fingers firmly with his strong hands into the stubborn knots and tight muscles of his love...only wishing he could go father, but not willing to push over any boundaries. The knowledge that one day he would have permission to do this as he pleased one day, and receive it in return, able to display his love for his mate proudly. No longer skulking around his property in his shifted skin, silently watching Will from a distance, letting himself be caught just once or twice, proudly puffing his chest as his mate stood in admiration of his other skin.    
  
Feeling daring, Hannibal pushed some of his own regard into the fledgling bond that had begun to form, and was swiftly deepening with the touch between them. Will opened his eyes, not seeing what was in front of him, only feeling the powerful emotions from Hannibal, as well as from himself. Hope bloomed in Hannibal’s chest, hoping Will would finally give him permission, take the first move that he knew would have to be taken first, not willing to take that choice from his considerably more frightened mate.    
  
Will turned his eyes to Hannibal, for once meeting another’s gaze without pain, or coercion...longing in them clear as the sun on a hot day, holding his breath as Will slowly leaned his head forward, his eyes open, knowing and accepting, finally pressing his lips to Hannibals. Not willing to give him any time to second guess he returned the kiss with still some restrained passion, and as much enthusiasm as he dared show. Pouring as much yearning, admiration, and want into the bond and the kiss Hannibal ran his fingers through the unkempt curls and held him close, deepening the kiss as Will slowly flicked his tongue out, only to have Hannibal’s own meet it.    
  
Will then grew infinitely more daring, and gently pulling Hannibal down over him, giving the other time and opportunity to put down a boundary, as though it would ever happen! Hannibal gave a groan and pressed himself down to his mate, resisting the urge to give the final mark, the final bite that would give Will a second skin of his own, nearly sinking his teeth in by mistake when, startling both of them Will’s cell loudly and shrilly cried from his bag on the floor. Both of them gave groans of displeasure as Will turned his head to answer the phone while Hannibal tilted his own to Will’d throat and gave teasing licks and kisses, distracting him from the call.    
  
“What is it, Jack? I’m off the clock.”    
  
“For me you’re always on the clock. Beverly found where the soil came from, he didn’t ship it over at all, he brought it over himself, from somewhere in southeast England, Interpol found more bodies there with the same soil, and with much less finesse. That’s where you’re going, so pack your things and get ready, you leave in three days.” Jack said, before hanging up, not even giving Will the chance to refuse or protest. Will dropped his phone to the floor, resisting the urge to throw it and said nothing, the moment between him and Hannibal ruined.    
  
“He didn’t even say how long I would be gone...what am I supposed to do about my dogs? My students?” He said in frustration, not daring to ask about their new development, he felt all his emotions begin to rise, between Jack’s casual lack of concern and the overstimulation of Hannibal’s kiss he felt his heart race for a new, much less pleasant reason. 

“Breathe Will,” Hannibal said, stroking Will’s cheek, “Alana can watch your dogs, she owes me a favor, you already have a substitute, and I will not let Jack whisk you off to England on your own. I am still your paddle, and I won’t let him whisk you away in the hurricane of his personality. Everything will be alright, I will ensure it, I promise.” Hannibal watched Will’s face cloud over with so many emotions, relief, sadness, anxiety, panic, fear, too many others to name. Laying down his weight he continued giving soothing words as he gave as many grounding touches to his mate. One day Jack would regret treating his Will in such a way.    
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


Within three days, they were both on a plane, together, hands clasped under the dim lights, Jack already asleep, in the arms of prince Ambien. No idea what was waiting for them across the roiling Atlantic, what they would find, in each other, in the crime scenes they found, both the ones the FBI and Interpol would give, and the one they would find on their own…   
  


  
  
  
  


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While Will and Hannibal flew over from the states, Harry shook in a puddle of his own blood and urine. He’d been caught catching a glimpse of the tv...some bodies had been found in the woods, with plants growing on them. They’d been there for at least a few months, but Harry saw under the flowers, beautiful though they were, the soil, so different to the rest of the forest floor around it, and so familiar to what he had been up to his knees in just an hour or two previously. He didn’t know how he knew, but he stood, frozen in terror as the man from so long ago shot in front of his mind, not realizing that he had stopped his cleaning to watch television, and inciting the wrath of his aunt and uncle. Even worse, in his shock he hadn’t been able to process the sound when they had first shouted at him. 

  
He couldn’t remember when he’d been given a beating quite this bad, he was kicking himself as his aunt dragged him by his hair to the cupboard under the stairs and locked him in. Harry had no idea how long he’d been down there, and no idea how long he would be down here.  _ It’s all my fault,  _ he thought,  _ If I could’ve just kept my head down and kept dusting I wouldn’t have been caught… _ He would’ve cried had there been any fluid left in his body to give.  _ It’s all my fault… _ He thought again, the images of the rotted corpses floating behind his swollen eyes. Harry knew he had given the man the information on the soil, and that’s why he did it. Maybe his aunt and uncle were right to hurt him, maybe they knew something he didn’t. Maybe he just brought it out in people. First them, then his cousin, and now that man. Harry felt anger and rage build inside him… it killed him inside that he deserved this.    
  
** _It’s. All. My. Fault._ **


	4. A Chase to End All Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since it's been a while since I last posted I made this chapter extra long, more like two chapters at once lol

Will was woken up on the other side of the world to Hannibal gently shaking him. He didn’t open his eyes, opting instead to close them tighter against the lights, rubbing his aching jaw that had been clenched tight while he slept. The seats were at least comfortable for a plane, much better than the usual coach the FBI gave him, another pro to Hannibal was that he had insisted on upgrading Will to first class, something he had never experienced but was very grateful for, as he was not looking forward to travelling ten hours in coach nonstop, and Hannibal had made the trip more pleasant.    
  
There were lots of things Hannibal had been able to make pleasant, namely social events. From large confrontations with Jack, as he’d had a few leading up to their departure, so just walking around crowded areas. With Hannibal being such a social butterfly Will had been worried he would have been stressed with all the people Hannibal naturally had near him sometimes, but he was wrong. In crowds Hannibal gave him something to focus on instead of impressions from everyone bombarding him and crushing him, and one on one Hannibal seemed to always know when to take the lead without making him feel like he needed a keeper. Will was still hesitant about them being “them”, but, as odd as it sounded and as short as their time together had so far been, it felt more right than anything Will had ever felt in his life. For the first time in a long time he had someone, a living creature that wasn’t a dog that he was afraid of losing. It was moving way too fast for his liking, becoming so attached so fast, the last thing he wanted in the world was to scare Hannibal away.    
  
Hannibal on the other hand seemed to be encouraging Will to become as attached as he could. Will didn’t want to focus on how much he was okay with that, it wasn’t like he was fostering codependency, he was...for lack of a better term, doting. He got Will a glass of good whiskey, a warm towel, he hadn’t had to make awkward requests to the overly talkative flight attendants once, it had been nice. He hadn’t pushed for uncomfortable public hand holding, or even a peck on the cheek upon meeting, he respected Will’s space, and his need for privacy, not even badgering him to speak on their drive to the hotel.    
  
“You didn’t have to book me a room at this place. The plane ride over here was already too much” Will said, knowing the futility of his protests.    
  
“I know I didn’t, I simply wanted to. The place that the FBI had listed as the location to put you up at was notorious for cockroaches and pests of all kinds.”    
  
“Well the FBI has a budget. How did you even manage to get a reservation at this place on this short of notice? This seems like the kind of place that requires you to plan your stay years in advance.”    
  
“This hotel does, however I was able to make a compromise.”   
  
This brought a sharp glance to Hannibal.“What kind of compromise? You didn’t take a hit job to get this room did you?” Will asked, only half joking, and causing Hannibal to laugh.   
  
“Nothing so dramatic, no. After I brought up my concerns to the people in charge of our travel offered to put us up in a different, but no less disgusting hotel. And so I asked them to pick out a hotel that they thought would suit my tastes and I would front the difference.”    
  
It was Wills turn to laugh. “Have you ever heard of malicious compliance, Hannibal? They probably just picked the most expensive hotel they could find and then strong armed the owner into making space for us.”    
  
Hannibal smiled back, “Indeed I have, but I assure you, cost is no issue, and we have gotten some lovely rooms waiting for us, already booked, and taken care of. Relax and try not to worry about the price, it’s already paid for, it would be a waste not to enjoy it.”    
  
Will smiled and tried not to feel like a sugar baby. He hated expensive fancy places, nothing made him feel more like white trash than being surrounded by luxury and rich people, they could smell the blue collar he grew up with. He wasn’t ashamed to be working class, he just hated the feeling of being surrounded by the softness that he knew had been built on the backs of people like his father, who walked six miles to break his back every single day on the docks for next to nothing, moved with work, never knew a steady income, never in his life known stability, never even knowing of WIll’s magic, having none of his own. Chasing labor like a bloodhound to survive, and pushing himself into an early grave to get Will an education so he didn’t have to live like his father. Will still felt guilty, his father had been so so sick, and still worked so so hard for Will, who even after dozens of scholarships and his father’s help, didn’t have enough, still had to restrict his meals to three times a week to make by.    
  
He remembered the feeling when he graduated university, walking with the rest of his peers instead of receiving the certificate in the mail like he wanted. Looking out in the crowd for his father, his father had wanted to see him walk, and after all he’d done how could Will say no? They’d had their differences, their issues, the drinking, the neglect, lashing out on both their parts, but not seeing him out there had hurt, and filled him with bitter resentment, thinking that his father had taken a job over this or had started drinking early that day, without so much as calling Will. He had been so angry, sad, hurt, but had in some small way, expected it.    
  
And that, that bit of resignation, that...not even doubt, that surety that his father wouldn’t come to see him, that is what hurt him after all these years. After the ceremony Will had stomped back to his apartment, too angry to drive, and called his father seven times in a row, getting his answering machine every time. After that Will called the place his father was working at the time, who informed him that he had quit, after being given an ultimatum to either work that day or never come back. That was when Will’s bitterness melted into worry, with still some reservations. He called the bar his father liked in that town, run by an old friend who let him drink for free, who greeted Will like a proud uncle, who had heard Will’s father last night proudly tell every single patron in the bar that his son, first in their family to set foot on a college campus for something other than a labor job, let alone graduate.    
  
Who had gone home early so he could be fresh to see his son tomorrow.    
  
That is when the worry turned into outright terror, he had called everyone who his father had any contact with, none of them had heard from him, all knew Will was graduating him and thus didn’t bother getting in touch with him, all knowing that his son would be his only focus. Will had sprinted back to the campus, to his car, the parade of graduates and their parents had dimmed down, thank goodness, he started his car and drove as fast as he could, to where his father lived, two towns over, breaking a dozen laws as he did. He scanned the roads for a wreck, Will’s father had been somewhat of a reckless driver...nothing. He screamed down the highway into the downtown, shitty neighborhood his father lived, drifting into the sidewalk rather than parallel parking, nearly tipping the car as he did, he ran out of the car, not realizing he still had on the graduating gown on. He grabbed his spare key to unlock the front door, it opened only to stop on the chain, meaning his father was still inside, WIll had called out for him, and only heard the whine of an alarm clock, his father never,  _ never  _ slept through his alarm, no matter what had happened. No matter the time he went to bed, how much he had to drink, how bone tired he had ever been, that alarm clock always woke him up without fail.    
  
Will panicked, and kicked the door off its hinges, the wood splintered and fell inward, the chain remained intact, a testament to how his father had always changed the locks in every place they had ever lived to make sure they were done right. Running in, ignoring the shouts behind him from the landlord who lived across the street he ran to the one bedroom...and there was his father. Not in his bed, on the floor, surrounded by broken glass and blood, the alarm still blaring from the floor beside the mattress. Will had felt hands on him, had heard ragged sobs, someone shaking him, trying to get him out of his spot frozen on the floor. He had turned his head, to the answering machine the only thing closest to a luxury in the house, needed in case someone called his father for a job, with its glowing light informing him of a message. Will knew what was on the machine, and still he took the one or two steps over and pressed down, to hear his own voice, his words were bitter and angry, full of hurt and venom. He turned, looking at the blood on the floor, knowing his father had never heard the words, but that they had nonetheless serenaded his corpse while Will could only think of himself, after everything the man had done for him.    
  
The landlord, an older man by the name of Darius, who Will still sent money to every week and would until the day he died, had dragged him out of the house, away from his father’s body, keeping him from further contaminating the crime scene. Not that it would have mattered, cops never came to this part of town. He dragged WIll into his own house, held him tight, telling him that his father didn’t want to be remembered that way, that it didn’t matter what he’d said, that his father died knowing WIll loved him, and we all said things we didn’t mean. None of it had helped that day.    
  
It took three days of calling for the police to be bothered to come to the neighborhood, and then all they did was call a coroner to pronounce him dead and take the bloating body. Darius had held Will back from the police, keeping him calm, and ensuring he didn’t attack the bored officer who had clearly pulled the short end of the stick to come here tell them it was probably a robbery gone wrong without bothering to check up on anything but assuring them he would. Both knowing he would not. 

  


Will had cleaned up the crime scene, his the help of Darius, who had insisted he do this without his help, shouldn’t have to clean up what was left of his father, but Will refused. He noticed that the answering machine had been erased, Darius hadn’t wanted him to ruminate over the last words he spoke to his father. In the days and weeks that followed that man had cared for him like his own son, had held him through the grief, helped him with his next move, collecting the few things his father owned, what he would do next with his life, even letting him stay on his couch after Will’s own landlord kicked him out for not being able to make rent, as grieving never paid well. He supported Will in his choice to join the NOPD, both knowing that he would be looking for whoever killed his father, both knowing that he was wasting his degree in forensic science.    
  
The only one who dared patrolling the bad neighborhoods of the city Will was left to sort his personal carnage unbothered, letting go those in the neighborhood who were good, just trying to get by, while still taking in those who deserved it. A rapist, who put their orgasm over someone else’s life belonged in prison, Will didn’t know where the mayor bought his weed but Will got his from a single mother with four kids and just as many jobs trying to make ends meet. It had taken a long time for him to win back the trust of the “bad” community when he joined the police force, but soon, most of them realised he wasn’t going to hunt them or treat them differently like the animals that were the rest of the NOPD. Will wasn’t a snitch, he wouldn’t let those who poisoned the world around them stick around to poison them further, but he wouldn’t bring people in who were desperate and didn’t know where else but crime to turn to.    
  
Will rose from the ranks from beat cop, to homicide detective, he brought justice to many, worked the cases in the neighborhoods no cop would touch, responded to those neighborhoods knowing he could be shot just by entering in his uniform. He  _ earned _ his rank there. And when he had access the case file, which contained only two pieces of paper, the incident report, and the coroner’s, he was furious. He’d gone to Darius’s house that night, filled with shame and guilt and rage, the man’s calming presence had helped him through that as well. Will sore to never take his kindness for granted like he had taken his own father’s, and he never did. He’d helped Will calm down, and told him that he was lucky to be in the position he was in, he was by  _ far _ not the only one who’d had lost someone to something like this only to have the cops do nothing about it because of who they were, where they lived, the color of their skin. Will was lucky to be in a position where he could change it, he couldn’t fix it, not by any means, by he had the tools at his disposal to find who did this.    
  
He searched and with no effort found  _ hundreds _ if not thousands of cold cases, just like his father’s. Two pieces of paper, incident and coroner’s reports, and no further notes, labelled cold cases before the ink had even dried on the signatures below. Will didn’t bring this to the attention of his superiors, knowing that it wasn’t that they didn’t know, they simply didn’t care. And so he made his name that way, solved dozens of those cold cases just by doing the bare minimum, and some...some were not so easy, some had a pattern, like his father’s had. Those went into a special file, ones he kept away from his fellow cops, not that they would ever dream of screwing around with him like they did to each other, horseplay, sexism, racism. The inappropriate jokes about the people in the jail cells. The fact that his differentness made them uncomfortable didn’t sit well with them either, had Will not made a good name for himself he would have been brutally hazed he was sure.    
  
The patterns Will found showed a serial killer, targeting middle aged blue collar men, all in the same way, broken bedroom window, in bad neighborhoods, killed beside their beds, nothing stolen, nothing left. Probably something left, but no one had bother to dust for prints or anything else. Thirty-two deaths over the course of the last three years. His father had been the seventeenth, the thirty-second had been tagged yesterday. Will ran to the crime scene to find it still somewhat fresh, as fresh as it could be after however many days it took the coroner or the police to respond. Will combed that crime scene like a favorite grandchild on picture day, he found prints, several to the family, several to some prostitutes in the system, and one unknown. With none of the other crime scenes intact enough to cross reference he had no idea if this was his killer or if the set of prints just happened to belong to someone not in the system. Will had cursed every single other cop on that had ever served on the force.    
  
Will had waited patiently for his killer to strike again, working overtime nearly every night, desperate not to miss when the call came in, reviewing every single call he missed when his captain has forced him to go home and sleep. Will waited for three months, before the killer struck again, it felt like his birthday to see the crime scene fresh, hours old, he combed through everything, alone again, while the mother comforted her daughter. He found the same set of prints, and thanks to there being statements from family this time he knew the last job the man had worked. He’d been working under the table as an electrician for some asshat who didn’t want to pay a union worker their wage and so hired someone to pay in cash and then fuck off. Apparently he had worked for him several times like that, all off the books and had quit after having asked for the job to be regular and on the books since he spent most of the week there anyways.    
  
The man in question ran the hiring section of a decently sized labor company in NOLA, that had several different names for its various businesses to give the impression that they were still “local”. And that this was very common for them to do, so they could cut corners on taxes, hours, wages, and union dues. Every time one of their regular under the table workers asked to be brought on full time as an employee since they did everything an hourly employee did without the paycheck they would either be fired, given the ultimatum to stay as is or quit, or simply never been called back.    
  
Will closed his eyes, and let the pendulum swing.    
  
That man had never had trouble with the law, not on any official basis anyways, his father was the head of the company and as such had given his son a leg up in the company, while not being his direct underling, telling him he had to work his way up, as though he were no different than the filthy grunts they had doing the building. But so be it, he would show his father he deserved to inherit the company and how wrong he was to stick him here behind the hiring desk, like he was no better than the idiots he hired. Quickly learning that it was cheaper the pay someone one hundred dollars a day in cash to do the job he’d have to pay someone eighty dollars an hour after taxes, benefits, and dues it became his main source of employing people. He had only the absolute bare minimum of people on the schedule officially, and the men he paid in cash worked harder and smarter anyways. Until they had the nerve to ask for him to sign them on as an official employee, after he’d given them the chance no one else would, the opportunity to work there and they wanted even more? No one ever gave him anything on a silver platter why should they get it just because they asked. Like they deserved it just because he let them work there for a little while, like anyone actually cared about them. They deserved to know that. No one cared if they died, no one would look into it.    
  
The first time he did it was spontaneous, the man had threatened to sue him and so at night he snuck into his house, attempting to kill him in his sleep, but the man woke up, and so was stabbed beside his bed. The man had run, burned his clothes, thrown out the knife and sweated for three days. Over nothing. He was right all along, no one important would care about these men, no one would save them, no one would stop him.    
  
There were always more grunts.    
  
Will had opened his eyes and thrown up all over the evidence room. He could have found any number of stupid crimes to rbing the man in for, get his prints to and then suddenly have him linked to the murders. But Will knew that with nothing to tie him to the other thirty-one and the heft the man’s father carried around in his wallet the man would never face true justice even in prison. Will could stop him, apparate in the man’s room, and take him, torutre him in all sorts of ways. He knew potions that would turn the man’s skin inside out, spells that would turn his spine to dust, curses that would cause suffering not even the depth of hell had ever seen. But this man did not deserve that. Kevin Matthew Ray deserved to die, but he also deserved justice, Will wasn’t the only one who was left behind in the fallout of the man’s selfishness, and it wasn’t him alone who deserved to taste the man’s blood between his teeth for what he had done. Watching him rot in prison would have to be enough, for all of them.    
  
He had followed the man for three months to his next kill, in a neighborhood that Will was known for patrolling, watched him break in, called for backup, and followed. The fight was unsatisfying, Will had come in with his gun, pointed at Kevin Ray, but, with a bitter taste on his tongue, couldn’t shoot him, the man deserved to live in fear and pain in prison, not the quick easy death of a bullet. Looking at the man lying on the floor in a pool of his own cooling blood, for just a second thought of his own father. His hesitation gave Kevin the confidence to lunge forward with his knife, Will didn’t pull the trigger and had grappled with him for a good while before getting stabbed in the shoulder. Not even a good, clean stab, it was jagged, unprofessional despite how long Kevin had been doing this. Will’s backup had shown up and taken Kevin in, Will presented everything he had, and Kevin was in prison to this day, not even his father could save him by sending him to a low security prison for rich white people that was more like a summer camp than real prison. No, Will made sure that he went to  _ real  _ prison.    
  
When asked why he couldn’t pull the trigger Will couldn’t exactly tell them that he wanted to brutally torture the man instead of just shooting him, and so he deicied to play the role given to him. Poor Will, the odd but brave and determined cop, who wanted to help, who patrolled the worst neighborhoods couldn’t pull the trigger. He had handed in his resignation, having no reason left to stay at the NOPD after having been assigned desk duty since he couldn’t shoot anyone. He stayed with Darius for a while after he had packed up all his things and headed up the East coast. From there he’d been welcomed at Quantico as a teacher, after failing to become a field agent, his degree finally becoming some use, his skills he had learned as a homicide detective helping him further. Through it all he had no bitterness left in him about that chapter of his life, he still felt twinges of shame for his last words to his father, but no guilt any longer, the resentment that had always been there had been fertilized by the experiences, and Will could never truly be comfortable in the face of wealth and luxury.    
  
Will was brought back to the present by Hannibal shaking his shoulder. “We’re here, Will.”    
  
He nods and grabs his duffel bag from the back of the car before joining Hannibal on the walk in.    
  
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“Where did you go?” Hannibal asked, ever curious, and noting the differences in scents that reflected the different emotional states Will had travelled through.    
  
“Nowhere important.” He said, lying, Hannibal could tell but, nonetheless decided not to push him just yet. They reached the check in desk and informed the polite young lady there of their reservation, receiving a room key, a list of services offered at the hotel, including spa and gym hours, and was wished a wonderful stay.    
  
“There’s only one room?” Will said, confused.   
  
“Yes, I’m afraid we could only convince one of our reserved guests to reschedule at the behest of the FBI, and the man who called said one room would be adequate.” The woman said, red faced and apologetic.    
  
“Are there at least two beds?” Will asked, clearly not willing to make a scene.    
  
The woman remained silent before answering that no there wasn’t. In a hotel as prestigious as this a cot was practically unheard of. Will nodded politely to the lady behind the desk and even smiled, trying to assure her that he was not upset with her before heading up to the room. Hannibal did the same, thanking her for everything before following Will to the elevator at a somewhat slower pace to hide his delight at the situation, unexpected though it was.    
  
“I’m sorry, Will, I realise that this has made you uncomfortable, I should have ensured that two rooms were booked. If you wish, I can sleep elsewhere.” Hannibal knew that Will would never even begin to dream of doing that to Hannibal, he could be rude sometimes but he would never have Hannibal walk the filthy streets of London to try and find other accommodations on such short notice. Will of course refused but still was visibly uncomfortable, the desire to assure his mate twitched within him but he knew that Will just needed some space right now, and he would get it. Once they reached the room they saw that the bed was large enough that they could both sleep on it without touching the other, not that it truly mattered overmuch, Will wasn’t opposed to spending the night with him, he was uncomfortable around luxury, and was introverted, he needed to not be smothered, he needed his space.    
  
Will dropped his duffel bag on the floor and looked around, seemingly unsure of what he should be doing in the place, Hannibal decided to offer him some privacy, “I shall take the first shower, if that’s alright with you, or I can wait until you have had one?” Will assured him that he was more than fine waiting and seemed somewhat relieved, as predicted. He took his time in the shower, knowing there was no chance of losing hot water, he wanted to give all the time and privacy he could. He was delighted to spend time in close proximity to his mate, but he knew that if he pushed too hard it would come at a price, Will needed time to recharge, time to breath. Hannibal wasn’t surprised Will had retreated into his mind on the ride to the hotel, he had been lost in the landscape of his mind, and much like his own there lay rooms in his memory palace where it was dangerous to tread. In time he’d know everything about Will who would know everything about him in turn, Hannibal was built of patience, he would wait forever for his beloved.    
  
When his skin began to become over hydrated he stepped out of the shower, deciding to dress himself both so as not to make Will feel as though Hannibal expected something he did not, and so as not to offend his prudish American sensibilities. In time he planned to try and push that a bit, not only for his own comfort but for Will’s own. Hannibal stepped out into the room to find it empty, his mates belongings where he left them, and a note saying he’d gone for a walk, and needed some air. Hannibal trusted Will, he knew the man could handle himself in any situation, but his Instinct told him something different, he had only ignored his Instinct once, and he had lived to regret it, so many years as the very last of his kind, all because he had second guessed himself. 

  


He would not do that again, he put on his shoes and walked out of the lobby, the scent of his destined one easy to distinguish from the swine that inhabited the rest of the city. Following the smell to a nearby park, he shifted into his second skin the very moment he was out of sight of the city lights. No longer having the need to feign calm he charged to the scent of his Will, now tinged with the sharp scent of danger, trampling plants and undergrowth beneath him, using every evolutionary advantage this form gave him to rush to his mate.    
  
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All he’d wanted was some  _ fucking _ air, and to dissociate in private for a little while. Now here he was, four muggers, armed with knives, who refused to believe him when he told them his wallet wasn’t on him on every side. He really had left it in his hotel but, since the muggers had seen the hotel he’d come from, none of them believed that he had nothing of value on him. Will was in no mood, and when they’d decided to take out some anger and then do him the courtesy of emptying his pockets for him...Will had snapped. He didn’t know how he knew, but these men didn’t deserve what little patience he’d had left in his soul and though he could have cursed them away, he was too engulfed in every bit of stress, upset, and petty inconvenience of those weeks. He’d just wanted to take a fucking walk so he could get some air, recover from the stress of the crowds and forced travelling, and put himself back together to the point where he could love another human being again. Hannibal didn’t deserve the wrath these men had unleashed, maybe this was a good thing.    
  
Will fought like a feral animal, he’d grown up working, he was deep country strong. He’d been slinging pallets of wood, metal, brick, cement, and hay ever since he was old enough to not be toppled over by what he carried. He kicked, clawed, bit, picked up and threw the men surrounding him. Will saw the skinniest one to the side and threw his right fist, easily the size of the man’s own face and crushed it against the side of his skull, sending him to Kingdom Come as he would later find out. With another he’d picked up by the legs in a bear hug and thrown him to the ground just as fast, but not fast enough to avoid being stabbed by the other two. With one dead and the other out of commision at least Will was glad he held up his own before he bled out onto the park floor, finding it actually quite hilarious that after everything he’d gone through working with the police, the FBI, sex traffickers, serial killers, the worst Jack Crawford had to offer, it was some city born muggers that gave him his end, stabbing him over and over as soon as he was down. He kept fighting, he would not make it easy for them, but he knew he was done for, blood loss, the organs they kept hitting, he knew that even with magic he would be unable to save himself.    
  
Will looked to his left, seeing movement in the forest, knowing without seeing, it was the stag he’d seen so many times at a distance. A large, feathered, powerful monstrosity, he had felt honored that his property had become the territory of such a creature, though Will had never been able to find out exactly what it was, but it had killed a mountain lion once that had nearly picked off one of his dogs and was welcome on his property ever since. Will was certain it wasn’t real, something his mind brought up for some odd reason in his last moments, he would have rather seen Hannibal rushing to his side, he felt tears despite himself, he’d been so distant, so short, so cold. It was far too soon in their relationship to begin to discuss the future, or love, but Will felt and had wanted both with Hannibal, and now that knowledge would die with him.    
  
He watched in awe as the stag lowered it crown and sent one of the muggers flying into the air with blood and viscera raining below him and to the other a brutal kick from powerful front legs as the stag reared up and brought them down hard. For the last Will nearly gasped at the beauty through his punctured lung as the great animal opened his mouth to reveal teeth sharper and more fearsome than anything he had ever known that quickly dispatched its prey. He was so glad to see something so beautiful, so stunning and powerful before the light faded, as the world began to turn dark the stag changed, morphed into Hannibal, Will wanted to tell him everything but didn’t have the strength left and even if he did, he was certain it was all in his head anyway, a show of courtesy thanks to his dying brain cells. Before the world went black he saw Hannibal bring his lips back to reveal teeth similar to the stag, followed by a sharp, burning pain in his shoulder.    
  
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With the burn Will’s pain eased, but was replaced with a bone deep ache, his entire body ached, and felt odd...not wrong per se, however it felt like something else. He felt a push in his mind, desperation, gratitude, a small amount of remorse, but nowhere near the relief and joy felt by someone who was so close but far away. Will wanted to follow them, they were warm, and they smelled like they would be his favorite thing in the world. He opened his eyes to a bright, clear world, his eyes no longer needing his glasses, lifting his head he felt a heavy weight on it, he opened his mouth to ask what happened only to have a goaning roar come out instead. Blinking and trying to stand only to fall he looked down to find four legs instead of two, feathers and fur covering a thick, black body.    
  
_ Breathe, my Will, you are alright, I am here.  _ _   
_ _   
_ A voice inside his skull whispered through his fear, soothing him somehow right away, though not taking his disorientation, his unease, and the feeling of vulnerability.    
  
_ Your name is Will Graham. It is 3:27 in the morning, you are in London, England. You are alive, you are safe.  _ _   
_ _   
_ Will turned his head, the voice gave no indication of where it was coming from or who it belonged to, he simply understood to look. He saw the nightmare stag, its head down so as to appear non-threatening, still covered in blood from his assailants. He understood now, he knew the stag.    
  
_ You are a now a Ravenstag. As am I. Before you I was the last of my kind, you feel it too in your mind and heart. I can see you always have.  _ _   
_ _   
_ Calm fell over Will, as did gratitude, warmth, adoration, and love. He had no idea which emotions, which swirls of both belonged to who. Each sides thoughts and fears, joys and sorrows spread across a bond stronger than death, and brighter than life.   
  
_ And I am now your mate.  _ Will felt himself answer, knowing Hannibal would hear.    
  
Joy and warmth spread over the bond as Hannibal knelt down on his forelegs and pressed his muzzle into Will’s, the conversation was not over, a long discussion was due. But for now WIll was happy to be alive, with Hannibal knowing how he felt and rather than be scared off by the intensity of his feeling despite the short amount of time shared between them return those feelings just as intensely. They laid there a moment or two before Will felt the need to stand, Hannibal helped him up, gently nudging him as a mother would her fawn, as he stood he could nearly laugh at how ridiculous he felt, smaller than Hannibal but still easily twice the size of the largest common deer he’d ever seen stumble around like a newborn.    
  
Soon he could walk fine, then canter, then he took off at a run, wondering how fast he could go, feeling Hannibal by his side, running with him, “watching” him over the bond, both happier than they had ever been in their lives. Reaching the end of the park too soon Will even gave several joyous jumps, nearly prancing around Hannibal, to the delight of both, they felt young, powerful, timeless and so, so happy. They cantered and danced around each other, running in circles, Will pressed his body into the large feathered barrel of the stag beside him and pushed as much heart wrenching happiness as he could into it, which was more than returned.    
  
As much as they both would like to simply forget the world and trample off, they both had to face reality, as they walked back, side by side together they easily found the bodies of Will’s would be killers. At the sight of them he felt suddenly ravenous, the toll of transformation finally taking hold of him, he almost felt guilt or shame, but was held off by his new mate.    
  
_ It’s only cannibalism if we’re the same species, my love.  _ _   
_ _   
_ Fitting that they meant who sought to be his end would become fuel for his beginning, and still high off the love, joy, and support coming from his mate and the new body he’d been given...Will knelt down, opening his mouth filled with razor sharp teeth of his own and stripped away the flesh from its bones. The most delicious taste in the world filled his mouth, and one delicate bite became a vicious feast for the both of them, leaving tattered clothes and splinters of bone behind as the only evidence the men had existed in the first place. The blood licked clean from one another, Will was disappointed to return to his other skin, already knowing how, just as a snake is born knowing how to strike.    
  
Neither man spoke as they shifted back, Will silently casting a charm to repair his shredded clothes before walking back to the hotel, and into the room. Both men stripped, unashamed of themselves or each other as they fell into an exhausted sleep, holding each other close for what little time they could before Jack inevitably came calling. Neither man dreamed, their unconscious minds twined around the other, basking in the peace that had evaded the both of them their entire lives.    
  
  
\-------------------------   
  
  
“You’re him. The Copycat, The Ripper, and so much more, aren’t you?”    
  
“And good morning to you as well.”    
  
Will let out a puff of air as a laugh while Hannibal chuckled.    
  
“You are not bothered by that. By any of it.”   
  
“Surprisingly no, I’m not. Maybe if it were someone else. But…”   
  
“I can feel you, my dearest. I understand. You did what you felt was right, you felt guilty that you never hunted the killers for the so called right reasons, you are good at it. You save people, but you don’t feel the self righteous pulse of joy as your colleagues, you do it because doing bad things to bad people feels good.” Hannibal explained camly, with no judgment in his voice, only warmth, support, and acceptance.    
  
Will could almost cry, tucking his head under Hannibal’s chin, relaxing into him as he had never relaxed in his life.    
  
“I don’t want to work for Jack.”   
  
“It would be rude to quit in the middle of an investigation. Perhaps when this is all over you can tell him it’s over.”    
  
“Yeah...that sounds wonderful. I almost feel like I should feel guilty, but I just feel better.” Will smiled as Hannibal held him closer, squeezing him tight for a moment before they both got up to get dressed for their day, much as they wanted to laze about together.    
  
“You have nothing to feel guilty about, Will, you are moving forward in your life.” Hannibal still noted the way his Will seemed to avoid the various luxuries of the room. “You deserve nice things Will...always.” Walking forward to embrace Will from behind, stroking a hand over the curls he longed comb through and groom. Will said nothing, and he didn’t need to, though their bond was not entirely telepathic, neither could inadvertently reveal information to the other that they didn’t want revealed, it came through clear as day. Hannibal got to see where his mate had gone yesterday, as though it were his own memories, he held Will tighter as he saw the life, resentment, and mistrust of wealth. “Your father has long been avenged, and just as with being a profiler, you cannot save everybody. As long as I breathe, Will, you shall want for nothing, you are my mate, I will give you everything,  _ everything.  _ I understand your trepidation, I have known pain, hardship, hunger and poverty.  _ As long as I  _ ** _breathe, _ ** Will...”    
  
Will turned around and embraced Hannibal tight, almost laughing, that this was his issue, and not the murder and eating of humans. He breathed in deeply, feeling the refined hands stroke up and down his back, his own pulling Hannibal down for a kiss, understanding and love pulsing through every heartbeat shared between them.    
  
Until Jack came bursting through the hotel room door.    
  
  


\-------------   
  
  
They all sat in awkward silence around a small table in the breakfast area. Naturally Jack was the first to speak up.    
  
“I don’t want to even begin to think why you had your tongue in your psychiatrists throat-”   
  
“Not my psychiatrist.”    
  
“I don’t even want to think as to why you thought it was a good idea to have your tongue in your patients throat.”    
  
“Will is not my patient.”   
  
“I SAID I DIDN’T WANT TO KNOW.”    
  


While Jack wasn’t yelling at them his tone conveyed that he very much wished he was. Hannibal would almost be upset if he weren’t so amused, he could feel Will telling his to “wipe the shit eating grin off his face”, which only prompted him to wear it wider.    
  
“Aside from all the ethical, and legal concerns the sheer unprofessionalism of you two using this investigation as an excuse to hole up in a hotel room the Bureau can’t afford, turn off your cell phones and hook up is something I have yet to think of a bad enough thing to say for.”    
  
“Those concerns do not exist, Agent Crawford, I assure you, While I was the one to evaluate WIll initially our relationship beyond that was not one of a patient and doctor but rather one of friendship, and yes, now lovers. I paid for the hotel room, we forgot to charge our cellular phones, and did not turn them off to avoid you, and Will and I did not partake in sexual relations last night.”    
  
Will had a full body blush and was choking back open blatant laughter and Jack looked like he was about to burst every last blood vessel in his head. Instead he took a deep breath.    
  
“I do not have the time or patience to deal with this right now, we need to head over to the garden and you need to tell me what you see, Will. Is it a fledgling garden or something else?”   
  
“I can tell by the pictures its much older and not as meticulously maintained, which I told you at the beginning of all this.” Will sniped.   
  
“Don’t get smart with me, Will, you’re on thin fucking ice as it is.” Jack catted back.   
  
“Agent. Crawford.” Hannibal’s voice, quiet though it was boomed over theirs, quieting them both as well as several other patrons in the direct vicinity, everyone felt the danger behind his teeth. “I am afraid that I cannot allow you to behave so abominably to Will as you are right now. You have treated him quite poorly in the past and it is only at his insistence that I am as patient with you as I have been. I will have to ask you to adjust your tone, words, and behavior in the future.”    
  
They sat in silence for a moment, Jack looking shocked and Will looking enamored, ignoring Jack as he gave them the location and told them to be there as he got up and left. Will and Hannibal both decided that Jack could wait until after they had their breakfast. After all, they would only be rehashing what Will had told him back in the states, at that very table and several times on the plane before the stewardess insisted Will turn of his phone. He took Hannibal’s hand and smiled.    
  
“I almost quit right there. He wasn’t any different than usual. I don’t know why I put up with it for so long.”   
  
“You have various insecurities and low self esteem, you have a habit of viewing yourself as disposable, or that as long as you are taking the brunt of Jack’s abuse then it saves someone else. You justify these thoughts because you have such high empathy and you can feel the pain around you when Jack lashes out, Jack is a decent man, he does good work, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is a bully. And you didn’t push back against him because you thought you were saving others from the brunt of his wrath. You would not tolerate Jack treating someone you cared about in the way he treats you, I care about you, and so I will not tolerate him treating you the way he is treating you.”    
  
Will held his hand tighter, unable to say anything and so simply pressed a kiss to Hannibal’s knuckles. No longer uncomfortable with being affectionate in public, Hannibal noted, he knew that Will was starting to see himself for what he was, elevated already into knowing that the thoughts in judgments of those around him were paltry and nothing worth his attention. He was honored that Will saw him as worth his attention, and that now he had even more of it. They both got up to start the drive to the crime scene, only a forty minute drive away but with London traffic it was nearly a four hour trip. Hannibal called the hotel, and asked them to hold their room for the night, and for the following night.    
  
“I think it would be wise to find a hotel near here for the night after we are done here, then drive back tomorrow. Perhaps we can take Jack’s advice after all and take a day to simply vacation?” Hannibal suggested. Will smiled and agreed before broaching the subject.”   
  
“You changed me.” He said simply.    
  


“Yes. Do you resent me for it?”    
  
“Somehow, no, not even a little bit. I feel better, I feel happier. I have you, and I wanted you since we met, and I don’t have to fear any of my thoughts or feelings with you. I can feel yours, and I know nothing I ever could come up with would scare you or make you hate me or be afraid of me. And that goes both ways. I feel like the cornerstone of every negative feeling in my life is gone.”    
  
At a brief loss for words Hannibal simply reached across the vehicle and stroked WIll’s cheek, who in turn leaned his head back into Hannibal’s palm.    
  
“You called us Ravenstag. As soon as I could I found as many books on as many magical creatures as I could. My father didn’t have magic, you know I never knew my mother.”   
  
“The Ravenstag are an ancient line of wizard-creatures, not unlike animagi, but generally, unless turned with the bite of a Mate, they are born, not made. There are other ways to change, such as being, for lack of a better term, adopted by a herd or alpha pair of Ravenstag. For a very long time, I was the very last. My father told me when I was a boy to expect the day I would scent my Mate and be able to have a herd of my own, after my family passed I believed that he was simply telling me tales so that I could be put to sleep as a child. Until I scented you I thought the Ravenstag would die with me.”    
  
“Hannibal…”   
  
“Now I have you Will,” He smiled at his companion before continuing. “We will age until we are in the best physical condition that we would naturally grow into before declining, and then we will stop. We are not immortal, we can still get hurt and die, but not without great difficulty, we can absorb the Killing Curse, in ancient times when we were well known it was often thought that we would ferry souls to the Land of the Dead.”    
  
“Are you sure that wasn’t a comment on your eating habits, dear?” Will asked with a smirk.    
  
“Puns are my territory,  _ dear  _ William.” Hannibal replied with a playful smirk.    
  
Their banter was interrupted as they arrived at the crime scene, which was ancient compared to the one they could in the states, overgrown with foliage, a spattering of mushrooms, but mostly common garden flowers. Definitely a budding killers experiment. Will said as much to everyone there, which they all knew, Jack insisted that they needed to look for any other gardens. How they planned to do that was beyond Will and also he didn’t care, he had a new connection with Hannibal to explore. Done with his job he and Hannibal went back to the car, Will closed his eyes for a moment while Hannibal booked them a room, which Will learned upon arrival was actually a very small house that the owner used as a vacation rental in the summer. They went inside and Will decided to lay down for a bit, the lack of sleep not only from last night but from most of his life weighing on him heavily.    
  
“I will return in a few hours, I’m afraid the pantry is not as well stocked as I prefer.”   
  
Will smiled and yawned, before wishing him well. Already half asleep.    
  
  


  


\-----------------------   
  
  
  
Walking into the small patch of woods, more common in this suburban area than in London he stretched for a moment before trotting off into the direction of one of the more populated areas, observing from a distance to find suitable prey. Normally he would be more discerning, but since he would only be here another day, all he had to do was keep it simple and undecorated, a different calling card for the victims. He sensed a presence from above, a snowy owl, pure white, even at this time of year, and so far from its normal hunting grounds, curious, it had no fear of him, instead it floated down to briefly land on the tines of his antlers only to fly again and land on a low branch ahead of him and looking back.    
  
Delighted and intrigued Hannibal followed, farther than he would have gone really. The owl led him to a delicately forested backyard of a painfully dull and characterless neighborhood, there he saw one house however, that was different from the rest. It reeked of fear, blood, too delicate for a human to scent, the garden, obviously once meticulously maintained was now somewhat overgrown, and uncared for. He could hear two parents wish a young boy well as he was about to embark on some sort of summer camp adventure.    
  
_ Excellent.  _   
  
Hannibal folded his legs under himself and waited for darkness to fall. The scent of a child’s pain and fear did not wane with the departure of the young boy, but he would come home to find those that hurt him long dead. No parents that would harm a child in such a way deserved to live, they did not deserve to be displayed in the manner of his usual kills, and as such would not raise suspicion.    
  
As soon as it was dark enough for him to blend in with his surroundings efficiently he walked out of the woods and leaped over the fence into the yard of the targets house, under the eaves he shifted back into a man, silently opening the backdoor, walking in only to have the scent of pain, rage, pain, sorrow and blood nearly suffocate him. Following it to a cupboard under the stairs, locked tight, with a chain, and a bolt, both newly purchased, Hannibal breathed the spell to release the locks, opening the door to a boy. Or what was left of one. His magic, just as his life was fading, all that was keeping him barely breathing, reaching in his pocket, always with him, some of his antler velvet, putting into the boys mouth, spelling some water in and forcing his throat to swallow.    
  
The velvet would not heal his wounds, but it would keep him alive long enough for Hannibal to do what he needed to do. He stalked up the stairs, every bit the cruel monster the human world thought he was, noting pictures, possessions, to give notice that another boy lived there aside from the overfed spoiled spawn that had been sent off to summer camp. He found the couple sleeping in their beds, killing them both swiftly, and with nowhere near as much agony and humiliation as they deserved, taking the man’s heart and liver, the woman’s heart and womb. Preserving both and sending them to the fridge of his current abode with Will, he returned to the boy.    
  
Levitating him gently he summoned his medical bag from one of his bottomless pockets, and got to work. He suffered from malnutrition, sepsis, high fever, and filth that Hannibal could only describe as the horror show his father had told him regarding the middle ages. Casting a cleansing charm over the boy to rid as much of the filth he could at the moment, easily spotting several bones broken he cast a spell of painless sleep over the child, and set them, repairing them as best as he could. Healing punctured lungs, cuts, bruised internal organs, he didn’t know what else, all he knew was that he was safe to transport, just barely.    
  
\--------------   
  
Will turned his head towards the sound of someone apparating into his temporary abode. He saw Hannibal…and a kid.    
  
“Help me Will, you brew potions, he needs Skele-Gro, Sanguincendo, and Essence of Vivere!”   
  
“On it!”   
  
Will ran to the kitchenette and pulled three of the muggle pots down, transfiguring ingredients from the kitchen into ingredients for the potions while Hannibal worked to save the child’s life, getting a brief glimpse into what he was like in his days as a surgeon. The Sanguincendo was ready first, followed by the Essence of Vivere, the Skele-Gro how would take five hours to be complete.    
  


“Hannibal?” Will asked, the question obvious.    
  
“He will live, Will, I found him in deplorable conditions...I could not leave him.”    
  
“I understand, I can feel it. I’m assuming whoever mistreated him is now in our fridge?”    
  
“Yes.” Hannibal said while he nodded. A question of his own on the tip of his tongue.    
  
Will sat down on the bed beside the child, who was now, thankfully, breathing steadily. Letting a breath out before speaking. “We can’t put him into foster care, Hannibal, we just can’t.”    
  
“I know.”    
  
Will looked up at him, not able to feel Hannibal’s desire for the child over the bond, he wanted Will to have this choice be his own, but that he wanted this child was evident. And if he was being honest with himself, he wanted this too. Stroking a hand over the child’s hair, revealing a scar, that could not have been put there by those wretched people.    
  
“A horcrux, Hannibal?” Will asked with a laugh. “Never thought we’d be adopting so soon, I do have to say that.” He was wrapped in the tightest hug he’d ever been given, the doctors strong arms around him tight. Will kissed him chastely. “You go fake papers and memories at some orphanage, I’ll look online for somewhere we can raise him right.”    
  
Hannibal nearly wept with joy giving one last kiss to his beloved before he went to do just that, opening the door, looking up to see the owl, somehow having found them. Pride swelled in him, of course his fawn already had his own Familiar looking after him, bowing in thanks to the owl, he shifted, moving as fast as he could to an orphanage they’d passed on their way into the area. In a small town such as this all he had to do was peer into the minds of a few before finding the boy’s name. It was an easy task, altering memories, falsifying documents, as far as anyone here was concerned, Harry Potter, son of James and Lily Potter(deceased)had been dropped off at St. Margarets Group Home when he was a baby by his aunt and uncle. Adopted the day before by Hannibal Lecter, and William Graham. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILERS For size reference, this is what I was picturing for Will and Hannibal in their forms antlers and all.


	5. Birds Fly Over the Rainbow, Why then, Oh Why Can't I?

Hannibal returned to the house to find Harry still sleeping on the bed, Will sitting on the floor with his back to the bed, smiling at his return, tired, laptop open. He stood up and welcomed Hannibal into a warm embrace.   


“Did you take care of everything?”   
  
“He’s ours, as far as anybody knows he never lived there.”   
  
He felt Will let a breath out into his neck, and plant a gentle kiss there. Feeling his smile and sensing his excitement he couldn’t help but wonder what his Will has discovered.   
  
“You obviously have money, Hannibal, it feels tacky to ask, but how rich are you?”   
  
“Are _ we, _ my love, what is mine is yours, it isn’t tacky at all, we are mates, you have every right to know our living situation.” Hannibal held Will tight for a moment before releasing him, “You shall want for nothing Will, food, luxury, love, homes. I was born into a line of nobility, I actually hold the title of Count in Lithuania, where I was raised. As we live extremely long lives my father and mother both procured a great deal of wealth before having a family. When I lost them, as a young boy, I thought I had nothing. I grew up in an orphanage until my Uncle Robertus discovered I was still alive and took me in when I was sixteen, until he passed.” He paused to give Will a brief kiss to his temple. “I have known hunger, and hardship, I have the means to ensure that neither you, nor I, nor our brand new son ever experience it.”   
  
Will smiled and laughed nervously, but embraced Hannibal tightly.   
  
“We have a _ son! _ ” Will had never sounded so happy.   
  
“Yes, my love,” Hannibal returned the joy. “He has been hurt, he will wake in a few days when his wounds have finished healing.”   
  
  
  
\-----------------------------   
  
  
  
Will had been nervous at first, showing Hannibal the place he wanted for all of them. He wanted something for both of them, something grand and classy for Hannibal, yet rural, near a river or lake for him. Lots of space for their new son, Harry, and all their dogs. Somewhere far away from Jack and the FBI...and that had led him to Ireland. Old world charm, combined with some excellent woodland areas where Harry and the dogs could run, jump, play and heal, he had gotten lost staring at the grounds of the vast land, imagining his son growing there. Maybe more, Will hadn’t ever seen himself with children, not willing to put himself in the position of parent when he thought he would live and die alone, but now, he had Hannibal, and his heart tingled with want of more children, someday, after Harry was comfortable and older.   
  
“It looks so wonderful, my Will.” Hannibal said, peering over his shoulder, startling him slightly. Before Will could even berate himself for choosing such an expensive place, Hannibal was already saying. “I purchased it on my phone while you were daydreaming of our future, Fort Dromore is ours.” Will just laughed, embarrassed but giddy. “I have arranged for things from both our homes delivered, including your dogs, my dear Will. I believed we should buy Harry’s things when he woke, aside from some clothing for him to wear when he wakes.”   
  
“This is so wonderful, Hannibal…” Will trailed off, happy but curious. “You said that by adopting we could turn him to a Raven stag like us?”   
  
“Somewhat yes, Will, but it is not as simple as us adopting him, family is more than blood, and more than papers calling us his guardians. He must adopt us as well, see us as his family in return.”   
  
Will nodded, knowing it would be hard to win the boys trust, and even harder to earn his love, but willing to take the challenge. All that was left was to tell Jack he was quitting, not wanting to see the man and hardly owing him any courtesy, Will gave him the phone call, Hannibal holding his hand.   
  
“What did you find, Will?” Jack answered, less of a question, more of a demand, still unable to see himself being wrong.   
  
“I told you what I found at the crime scene Jack, that isn’t what I’m calling about.” Will had wondered if he would regret this, and now he was certain he wouldn’t.   
  
“Then what are you calling for?”   
  
“I quit, Jack.”   
  
“Excuse me?” Jack asked incredulously before continuing. “Are you telling me you want to go back to your classroom and let people die because you’re a little stressed? Can you have their deaths on your hands for that?” And now Will was furious, and so was Hannibal.   
  
“I am not going back to my classroom Jack. I quit. All of it. Those people wouldn’t die if you or anyone you hired could do their jobs and catch their killers without me. People die every single day, Jack, and those deaths are in the hands of those that killed them, not me. Goodbye Jack, see you never.” Will abruptly hung up and snapped his phone in half.   
  
  
\------------------------   
  
  
Hannibal checked back into their large London hotel room, giving orders to the desk clerk to not let in Jack Crawford under any circumstances nor deliver anything he sent to the room and instead to dispose of it. As he walked into the room Will was waiting there for him with Harry on the bed, the Skele-Gro had been administered and was taking good effect, he would wake soon and Hannibal would rather that he woke in his new home rather than have the stress of temporary surroundings in addition to new people. Especially with the new that his only living relatives with the exception of his cousin were now dead. Will clearly had the same thoughts.   
  
“We’re running out of time, Hannibal, we need to pack up our shit, his shit, and get it all thrown into our home, we can’t just apparate him there and have a bunch of stuff in trash bags tell him guess what here’s your new life. We need to get beds, furniture, we can’t even get the bed until he wakes up because we don’t know what kind of bed he wants, we need to get the dogs taken care of, we need to get their passports and their shots for travelling. I need to go and board up my house so squatters don’t fuck everything up, we need to stock the new place with food-”   
  
“Will! Calm down, I have already arranged for all of those things to be handled. Our things our packed, Harry has no things, and what things I have purchased for him are already at our new home. I have had everything taken care of an unpacked, he has his whole room filled with clothing, games, books, puzzles. Your dogs are waiting for us there, my home is rented out, and your home is boarded up, and there is food at our new home, I have handled everything.”   
  
Will took a deep breath, looking over to Harry, nervous, afraid. It made Hannibal wonder how Will would react when nesting when pregnant with new children someday, and as tired as the thought made him, it also brought contentment. Hannibal hoped one day to see his mate swollen with young, but it would have to wait until Harry was older, and more comfortable.   
  
“Will?” Hannibal asked, getting his attention, “Everything will be alright, Harry will wake within the next day or two, and we are apparating this evening to our new home, where we will have all of your dogs, I will make us a celebratory dinner, which we will eat in Harry’s room. We will be watching over him until he wakes, I promise you he will not wake alone.”   
  
He nodded and breathed deeply, pushing his head into Hannibal’s shoulder. “Alright… alright I’m ready. Let’s take him home, give him a sponge bath, put him in some comfortable pajamas, I’ll brew up some Reprehendo to check for allergies. We’ll cook up some bone broth to build up his strength, then I want to check out the rest of the land, since the place is in Kerry I think we should get some cattle, at least.”   
  
“Will?”   
  
“Kerry is famous for its dairy, and our son’s going to need plenty of dairy, his bones are going to need the vitamin D, and he’s a growing boy, he needs food, cattle will help with that. We should get some chickens, maybe some pigs, I think there’s already some ducks that live on the lake.”   
  
“Will! Calm yourself, we do not need to buy an entire farm to provide for our son. There are dozens of local farms to buy our groceries from, there is plenty of game to hunt, and fish in the lake, Harry will be well fed and provided for, everything is fine, we are fine, Harry is fine, the dogs are, the house is fine. You are nesting, and once we get established in our new home you’ll be able to calm down, understand?”   
  
He in fact did not calm down, and instead he tried to pick up their child in his arms while also carrying all their bags to try and apparate to the house. Hannibal took the bags off his hands, he worried that if he tried to remove Harry from his mate that Will would shift and try to gore him. He hoped that once Harry woke and showed them he was alright that Will would calm down.   
  
And if not Hannibal would have to crush up some sertraline to Will’s coffee and tell him that he had made decaf.   
  
  
  
\---------------------------------------   
  
  
  
  
( _ Age Nine _ )   
  
  
Harry woke, slowly. Slowly coming into consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that there was no pain. Had he died? It wouldn’t be surprising, he was warm, and on something soft, _ so soft... _ he was wearing clothes that seemed to fit him, and they were comfortable, not too hot, not freezing. That had never happened before, had he died? Was he in the hospital? He opened his eyes, and couldn’t see, he tried feeling around for his glasses but there was something holding his hand.   
  
He heard something shift on both sides of him, it was dark, but he could see that he was in a bed, in a room he’d never seen. There were two unfamiliar figures on either side of him, one of which was holding his hand, both had woken at the sound of his movements. Fear struck through him for a moment as the two figures woke.   
  
“Easy, it’s alright, Harry, you’re safe, I promise,” Said the one holding his hand.   
  
“Everything is alright now,” Said the other.   
  
“How do you know my name? Where am I?” _ Where’s Hedwig? _ Harry thought in a panic, breathing heavily, shaking.   
  
“As we said Harry, everything is alright now.” Said the one not holding his hand, who had stood up slowly, seeming to want to show that he meant no harm. He walked to the window, opening it, and in flew the bright white owl that had kept him alive for so long. Relief flooded him as she landed on his knee, cooing and preening him. Harry nearly wept with joy as he wrapped her into a gentle hug. “She found me when I was...taking a stroll in the woods near your area.” The man continued, he sounded very important, he had a distinct and high class way of speaking, even though he didn’t sound English, in fact neither of them did. 

  
“Here, drink, you need your strength.” Said the one who had been holding his hand. “Some warm chicken broth, it’ll hydrate you and give you some nutrition.” Said the man. Harry drank gratefully, it was such a wonderfully tasting drink, better than anything he had ever had, as he drank the man closest to him continued speaking. “My name is Will Graham, and this is Hannibal Lecter, my husband. Hedwig led Hannibal to you, he...found out what your aunt and uncle had done to you. So, he took you to me, and we patched you up, and decided to take you in. We wanted to make sure it was okay with you, but we couldn’t leave you with them, not for another second.” The man turned to a table beside him, and handed him something, new glasses, Harry put them on and could finally see clearly. Hedwig’s beautiful black spots on her white coat, the man beside him, Will, had stubble his uncle wouldn’t have approved of, but had earnest eyes, that seemed to reach out to him and assure him. The other man wore a suit and class in a way that made the Dursleys look nothing short of common, sophistication came off him in waves, as did concern, and care. Harry drank more of the broth, letting the steam fog his glasses...it was a lot to take in. “So...you found me, and..adopted me?” He asked, carefully, the Dursleys had not like questions, and he did not want to make a worse first impression than he had.   
  
“Yes, we did, Harry.” Came the response from both of them. Harry nodded, staying quiet, not knowing what to say. The man by the window, Hannibal came closer and sat on the side of the bed close to him. There is more, Harry,” He began. “Your aunt and uncle are dead.” He said simply, no inflection in his voice, no instructions in his tone for how Harry should react and so he did not. “When I found what they had done to you...I went to their room and killed them in their sleep.”   
  
“Hannibal, gently…” Will cut in. Though Harry was not upset, far from it, he could almost cry in relief, he didn’t know whether to laugh or anything else. He knew he should have been upset, but he couldn’t bring himself to be. Will spoke again. “You have no obligations to any feelings, positive or negative to them, Harry,” He froze, how had the man known what he was thinking, he was supposed to make a good impression. They would throw him away now, no one would want him anyways, they had saved him and he had shown them what a monster he was already… “Harry! You’re alright, don’t panic, we will not hurt you, and you are not in trouble. We promise, there is nothing you could do that would make us not want you.”   
  
“Will is right, Harry. We took you from the Dursleys, and brought you here to recuperate. I punished them for what they have done,” Hannibal told him. “I know this is all quite a lot to take in, and after how you have been treated it will take a very long time for us to earn your trust. But all we want in the world is to make a home here, with you, if you will let us.”   
  
Harry couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he did not believe that they would care for him, just like that. Things like that just didn’t happen, especially not to Harry, willing to ride this out until they understood that he brought out the worst in people and got rid of his Harry forced his breath steady and nodded. Both men gave a sigh of relief before smiling.   
  
“Why don’t you finish your broth, and go back to sleep? This is your room, and you are welcome to explore it, and tomorrow when it is light out, we can explore the rest of the house, and the ground, if you like?” Harry nodded again and drank his soup down quickly before Hannibal took the empty cup, both placing a warm hand that bespoke nothing but affection to him that he couldn’t bring himself to believe on each shoulder before wishing him good night.   
  
Harry laid down in his bed, Hedwig roosted on her own perch beside his bed, watching over him, making him feel safe and loved. As he watched her, waiting for the footsteps to retreat into a room down the hall before he let go his tears. He was so lucky, so happy and so grateful, Hedwig had risked everything to save him from that place by guiding them to where he was dying and Harry had nearly destroyed it with his foolish emotional outbursts. _ How is that for gratitude? _ Harry thought bitterly, looking up at the only creature that had ever given him love he could trust he made a silent vow that no matter what, he would be perfect. Not a toe out of line for Will and Hannibal. They took him in, gave him a room and clothes and food, and he would _ never _ ask for more. He would cook and clean and pull his weight and make damned sure that they would not regret this. He would never show them the dark, ugliness, the strangeness he had.   
  
Harry went to sleep, vowing that Hedwig had not risked herself to keep him alive all these years, and that all she sacrificed would not go to waste.   
  
  
\---------------   
  
  
Harry woke up to the sun shining through his windows, still open, Hedwig was gone, probably hunting. He put on his glasses and cursed himself, he should have been up by now cooking breakfast for his new caregivers. He looked around his new room, larger than the Dursleys living room, trying to find where he had clothes, it wouldn’t do to walk around in his pajamas all day. He finally found a closet, it had pants and shirts, all plain and simple but in various colors. He decided on a light green button up with short sleeves, and some black shorts, easy to move in, easy to clean things. He tried combing his hair but, it was as stubborn as it had been when he was at the Dursleys, he sighed and found some shoes that looked comfortable, who in the world would need so many shoes?   
  
As he walked out of his room he found himself facing what looked like a miniature sitting room at the top of a large prestigious staircase. No indication as to where the kitchen was, aside from the smell of some sort of food. Harry cursed himself again, he was already failing! He looked around and found two sets of stairs, both leading down but in different directions, he chose to follow his nose down the set of stairs closest to him, down another hallway and to an open door that showed Hannibal over a pot of the stove, and Will, at the table, reading a newspaper, and drinking some coffee. It looked like all the commercials of perfect couples Harry had seen when he sneaked a peek at the television while cleaning.   
  
“Good Morning, Harry!” Will said, cheerfully, in that accent he couldn’t place, putting down the newspaper that just looked a bit... off. “How did you sleep?”   
  
“Really well, thank you so much, I’m sorry I slept so long and didn’t make breakfast.” Harry said sheepishly, surprised when Will laughed.   
  
“You might have to wrestle Hannibal for that, cooking is one of his favorite things to do.” He said good naturedly, though Will could see something else in his eyes for just a moment.   
  
“He is correct, Harry, cooking is something I enjoy quite a bit, and I am very good at it. Though an extra pair of hands that don’t have motor oil on them is always wonderful.” Hannibal said, both seemingly in very good moods, to which Harry was grateful. “Sit down, Harry, your breakfast is nearly done, and I’m sure you have plenty of questions for us.” Harry nodded sitting down beside Will who had put his newspaper down.   
  
“Here you are, Harry,” Hannibal said as he set down a bowl of oatmeal in front of him, “I’m sorry its not something more special for your first breakfast with us, but you need to gradually work your way up to solid foods once more after going so long with poor nutrition.”   
  
“No! Thank you, this is wonderful, it smells better than anything I’ve ever had.” Hannibal beamed with pride and gave him a gentle pat on the head. Harry ate a few bites before nervously speaking. “You said, I could ask some questions?” Just opening his mouth made him sweat. Both men looked at him, calmly despite his fear and told him to ask as many questions as he wanted.   
  
“You never told me how you knew my name…”   
  
“Ah, my apologies, dear Harry. Everyone in our world knows your name.”   
  
“Your world?” Harry asked, to which Hannibal gave him a mischievous grin before raising his hand and giving it a flourish. His jaw dropped as Will’s newspaper flew over all their heads and folded itself into and origami swan right before his eyes. He sat in stunned silence until Will spoke.   
  
“Harry, have you ever done something, something that you couldn’t explain, maybe when you were angry or scared?” Will asked. He thought of the worst of the beatings he usually got from his aunt and uncle and nodded.   
  
“I did too, and so did Hannibal, just like us, your birth parents, and billions of others.” Will explained. “You’re a wizard, Harry. You are well known in our world because of your birth parents service in the war. That scar on your head is the one that marks the very last wizard to fall in it, the man who started it. He cast a curse on you that was meant to end your life, but instead of killing you it rebounded on him.”   
  
“And when that happened, the war ended…” Hannibal cut in, pressing a gentle finger to his head. “When he failed to kill you, he accidentally implanted a small shard of what was left of his soul in you, making you a horcrux. A vessel for a fractured piece of soul one creates in an attempt to achieve immortality. It isn’t large enough to influence you or those around you in any way, and one day if you like, we can remove it, or leave it. It will always be your choice.”   
  
Harry took a deep breath, _ No wonder they hated me, I was a monster that got dropped on their doorstep _ , he thought.   
  
“How, how are there wizards when other people aren’t wizards?” He asked, Hannibal answering him.   
  
“There are subtle differences in our genetics and biology that give us our differences. For example, both male and female wizards can become pregnant and give birth, there are capable at shapeshifting, there are others who are capable of hearing the thoughts of others, those who can shift into an animal form, as well as creature-wizards.” That got Harry’s attention.   
  
“Creature wizards?” He asked, curious, and getting a smile in return.   
  
“Eat your breakfast, Harry, and we can tell you much more.” Will said, eating his own. Harry forgot himself for a moment and ate quickly, very excited to learn more, he’d never been able to ask so many questions before, and have them answered! It was wonderful, and there was so much more to learn, so much to see and talk about. He wolfed down his oatmeal, the best he’d ever had, and helped Hannibal and Will clean up before heading out to the back garden.   
  
“Are you ready, Harry?” Hannibal asked, both having a sharp glint in their eyes. He nodded yes, and watched in awe as they somehow changed. Right before his eyes. Where only a moment before the two men who had saved him and took him in stood two _ massive _ black stags. Harry stood frozen to the spot in awe before the one on his right, Hannibal walked forward and pressed his nose to Harry’s stomach. He felt a push in his mind and a shift in his insides.   
  
_ There we are, Harry. _ Came Hannibal’s voice, now inside his head.   
  
_ You can hear both of us now, yeah? _ Came Will’s voice.   
  
“What happened? How?” Was all Harry could say for himself.   
  
_ We’ve imprinted on you. _ Hannibal’s voice again _ We can project our thoughts to you, and you can do the same to us. We will be able to sense your emotional state, and track you wherever you are. No matter where you go, we will always be able to sense you. _   
  
_ We will always be there for you, Harry. No matter what. _ Harry heard them both finish. He looked up to see Hedwig, who flew gracefully down and landed on Will’s proud rack of antlers, stunned into silence from both his mind and voice, he walked forward with his hand outstretched to give a touch to Hannibal’s muzzle. It was covered in feathers, he looked up to see Will walking towards him as well, giving his unruly hair an affectionate lick, making Harry laugh before he heard his voice, so unlike Hannibal’s and yet just as kind.   
  
_ I believe we promised you a tour of the grounds, would you like a ride as well? _ He asked, Harry nodded profusely, though unsure of how that would happen as he barely come up to the midriff of the massive stag before him. _ Grab onto my antler, and Hannibal will give you a boost. _ Harry obeyed, grabbing tight and pulling himself up, feeling Hannibal nudge his legs to help him up, he held on tight with his arms, not wanting to pull any feathers with his hands. Gripping Will’s barrel hard with his legs as step after step was taken, so carefully until Harry got the courage to look up and out. Will and Hannibal took gentle steps explaining to him where everything was on their land, there was a small pond in front of the massive castle that was now somehow his home...a huge lake filled with fish, and other birds Hedwig could be friends with. All surrounded by a massive forest, that Hannibal and Will explained was protected by wards, he could explore it to his heart’s content, no predator dared venture into the territory of what they were. _ Ravenstag _ , Hannibal explained it all to him as they strolled.   
  
They came out onto a grassy hill, the sky bright and cloudless, he looked around. Harry had gone to sleep in pain, unsure if he would even wake up at all, only to wake up to all this. His breath came quick, he took off his glasses as tears fell fast and hard, hiding his face in Will’s neck, feeling Hannibal behind him laying his neck across Harry’s back.   
  
“Th-thank y-you, so mu-much.” He shuddered out between his sobs.   
  
_ You are a son to us now, Harry. _ Hannibal said.   
  
_We love you, and we will do everything for your safety and happiness_ , came Will’s voice as well.   
  
It was all so perfect and wonderful, everything he had never dared to dream of. Harry decided, to make the most of it, to be as happy as he could, before he made a mistake like he always did and made Hannibal and Will see sense and know what he was. Until the other shoe fell he would suck every bit of happiness he could out of this situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the home I found for them, it is a very real place in Ireland, something I thought would be perfect for them all.
> 
> https://www.onthemarket.com/details/6037220/


	6. For One so Small, You Seem so Strong

Harry sat in a chair, as patient and still as any nine year old boy could be while getting a medical examination, he sat as still as he could while Hannibal checked his bones, pressed and prodded his internal organs to ensure they were healed nicely. He even stayed still while Hannibal shone light into both his eyes, made him read out a list of letters, and stick a metal thing with a light in his ears to check them as well. Hannibal had expected him to balk when the subject of vaccinations came up but Harry surprised him and took them like a good boy, earning a dessert of his choosing that night. A crepe Suzette, he asked Hannibal sheepishly, with a blush around his ears that reminded him so much of Will.    
  
Hannibal and Will had both decided to have special activities with Harry that was something sacred between the two of them, instead of something done as a family. Harry and Hannibal spent hours in the kitchen together, Harry’s favorite game was when Hannibal shuffled all his meticulously organized recipe cards and let Harry pick at random, between a dessert, an appetizer, or dessert. Then based on what Harry picked out he would help Hannibal decide on what they should cook the rest of the meal with to match the mystery card. Will and Harry would travel outdoors and fish, Harry had never known there were so many different kinds of fish, and so many different ways to catch them, he never tired of watching Will in his stag form snag fish out of the water like a bear to eat as a snack while Harry contented himself with berries. Hannibal thought their son was adjusting perfectly into their little family, though both he and Will did notice that this was something of a honeymoon period for all of them, something soon would trigger Harry and he would lash out in fear and pain. Hannibal swore to himself, no matter how hard Harry pushed them away trying to take back control and reject them before they could reject him, no matter how he lashed out in pain and fear, he and Will would always be there for him.    
  
“Why a crepe Suzette, Harry?” Hannibal asked gently, with a smile as Harry helped him make the batter and prepare the sauce. Harry shrugged and cowered a bit, as he always did when asked question, though growing slowly more used to it as he learned that he and Will weren’t going to hurt him.    
  
“I don’t know...I saw a picture of it, and Suzette is such a pretty name so…” He said, seemingly afraid of saying the wrong thing and being met with cruelty. He and Will always ensured they responded with kindness when Harry answered shyly, trying to build his confidence.    
  
“Suzette is a beautiful name, my mother once had a pet Komodo Dragon by the name of Suzette.” He said with a smile, before adding mischievously, “She always wondered how Suzette got to be so fat when I was a child, thinking it was the stress of having a child running around for it. I do not believe she ever figured out every time I sunk into the kitchen for a snack I also stole some food for Suzette.” Hannibal beamed when Harry laughed, cautiously at first, and then a bit more as he saw that he wouldn’t be punished for doing so. Hannibal swelled with pride as Harry sat wide eyed when Hannibal set the crepes to flambe in front of him and waited until the flames died down before tucking in, obviously enjoying it, and so glad that he had chosen this dessert as his reward. Hannibal longed to give the boy his favorite dessert every day but he had no desire to ruin his son’s health, and no desire to render the dish bland.    
  
  
Later that day while out with Will by the river, Harry grew distracted. He’d yet to have a whole day to himself, and keeping up constant perfection was exhausting him, he had to maintain this, he didn’t have a choice, he couldn’t afford a mistake, he had a damn good life now and would do everything in his power to make sure he didn’t screw it up for as long as possible. Harry knew one day he would mess things up and ruin everything for them and Will and Hannibal wouldn’t want him anymore, and he was terrified of that. Doing his best to be perfect was still tiring, and he desperately needed time to breathe, but not as much as he needed to be perfect for the two men who had saved his life and then made it perfect, and he had no right or excuse to be anything less than perfect for them.    
  
“Harry?” Will’s voice cut through the fog in his mind, snapping him to attention,  _ you almost screwed it up! _ His mind screamed at him. “You’ve been looking at the woods for a while, did you want to explore them?” Will asked. Harry nodded and said yes, anything Will or Hannibal wanted to do Harry would do, no questions asked, even though they seemed to like when he asked questions Harry knew that adults didn’t actually like being bothered with them. “Alright, you can explore buddy, all you have to do is ask.” He was told kindly, “Just stay inside the wards, and away from the ravene, and be back by seven thirty to clean up for dinner, does that sound good?” Harry nodded, grateful to have some time to himself, he needed to breathe, he would worry himself sick that he had screwed things up later, as soon as he was given permission he ran into the woods, fast as he could delighted to have some time to himself.    
  
He explored the woods, climbed trees, found a hole in the ground that he learned belonged to a porcupine when it stuck him in the calf. Harry it didn’t tear his clothes, he pulled them out roughly, not noticing how the spines tore some of his skin with them as he did, the pain not even coming close to the levels that truly made him squirm and ache. Aside from the dried blood itching every now and again he hardly noticed it and quickly forgot about it. Harry found new things to explore, spiderwebs, birds nests, mouse burrows. Now that he was being fed well Hedwig had stopped bringing him dead rodents and lizards to snack on, though he did miss them. It wasn’t that Hannibal and Will’s food didn’t taste worlds better, it truly did, but there was something about the warmth the food Hedwig had raised him on brought him that demanded he occasionally satisfy it.    
  
Harry perched himself on the tangled roots of a tree, just above the den, within arms reach of the entrance and waited. He didn’t make noise, and he didn’t move, he watched patiently until one mouse inside felt safe enough to sniff around the entrance, not letting himself tense of or prepare, he waited until it felt safe enough to scurry out entirely. As soon as he had a clear shot, Harry grabbed the mouse by its tail quicker than a snake strike, and smacked its head against the trunk of the tree, killing it instantly, before it even had the chance to fear or try to understand what was happening. He devoured it, as fast as if he was still starving, remembering the touching kindness Hedwig had bestowed upon him with every meal she had given to him, nearly bringing tears to his eyes.    
  


_ Well done, hatchling  _ Came a sharp, whispering voice to his left. Harry looked up in shock as a massive snake, black and green with red eyes emerged from the foliage. Fear filled him on instinct, the snake was bigger and very nearly wider than his entire body, he couldn’t move. He was trapped in its gaze.  _ I’ve been waiting in these woods for many years waiting for you, and now you’re finally here… _ Harry’s fear turned to terror, he didn’t know why this snake knew him, or knew how and why he would be wandering around this day. His breath came quick, and he didn’t know what to do.    
  
“Harry,  **move!** ” A voice, Will’s, snapped Harry’s gaze from the snake. The world slowed down, he saw Hannibal, as a stag, leap over a felled tree a bit farther away, and Will in his human form, dive into him, shoving him out of the way as the huge, horrible snake struck. Hitting Will, instead of its intended target.    
  
Harry felt his world end as he watched Will fall, movement made him turn his head to Hannibal, trampling the snake under his hooves. All he could think about was that he had just cost Will his life, these men had given him everything, and this was how he repaided them. The world turned dark, and he heard his own crashing brutal scream, feeling his whole body pop and crack as devastation overwhelmed him. Soon he couldn’t distinguish between his own screams from the ringing in his ears as darkness took over was little he could see. The last thing he saw was Will shift into a stag as Hannibal rushed over to them both.    
  
  
  
\-------------   
  
  
  
The first thing Will comprehended after he was struck was the taste, he remembered when he was a kid and got tagged by a cottonmouth, he’d heard about people tasting the venom when they got bit, but didn’t believe it until then. He pushed himself to shift then and there, knowing as a stag he would survive the venom with no issue, he watched Hannibal stomp the snake, and looked over to Harry. Will had to make sure Harry knew he would be alright, the venom still coursing through him made it so hard to move but he had to be there,  _ he had to be there... _ he couldn’t let Harry think that Will was gone.    
  
When he had felt the fear of their son Will had dropped everything and ran as fast as he could, Harry had stayed relatively close, and when he saw Harry, hypnotized by the snake, and he smelled blood, the blood of his  _ child _ . He had been so afraid, and now he was afraid all the more, he could feel his son being crushed under the weight of seeing him felled by the snake and longed to reassure him. Before he could reach him he felt a  _ snap _ ...like when a headache finally broke and eased. Something changed in their bond, made it grow, and change, and deepen. Finally able to stand he limped over to Harry, Hannibal at his side as he looked down where his son had been not even a second before. 

  
In his place, passed out from fear and panic...was tiny fawn. So small and vulnerable, impossibly small even for a baby. Hannibal and Will bedded down on either side of him, filled with joy that their son had shifted, had adopted them back...and crushed that his transformation had been pushed by panic, fear and loss. The bond between the three of them was numb, Harry’s mind having been put through too much pain to give or receive thoughts and emotions just yet. They would be here for him.    
  
His feathers were a bright glowing white, it almost hurt to look at him directly, with black feathers sprinkled on his back. He and Hannibal licked him clean, Harry had leftover blood on him, as well as some dirt from when he had fallen. Their fawn was clean and scented by the both of them, breathing well, his large ears twitching with his long skinny legs. Will and Hannibal bathed in the adoration coming from the both of them towards their son over the bond, his tiny little nose and hooves were so dainty and shiny, they nearly looked painted on. Will felt his heart jump in excitement as Harry’s eyelids started twitching, opening and closing to reveal the same dark red eyes both his fathers shared.    
  
  
  
\---------------   
  
  
  
For a long while Harry felt nothing, just a floating sensation, completely numb. It had happened a few times before when the Dursleys had beaten him too hard, maybe that’s what had happened, maybe he had never left. He hoped that the last few weeks hadn’t just been a dream, if he woke up back at his aunt and uncles he didn’t know what he would do. Maybe he’d try to find Hannibal and Will if they really existed, maybe he wouldn’t have the energy to face the world again without them. Maybe the world would be kind, and leave him here forever just like this, he felt love and warmth being pushed into his being, there was no pain, no sorrow. Maybe he was dying, he could go and see Will, and tell him how sorry he was for what he had done.    
  
Harry felt something brushing him. Two somethings, as a matter of fact, they tickled him at first but soon the sensation was gone. He slowly became aware of his body, he felt two other bodies around him, keeping him warm and safe, he felt...small, and that he was somehow folded in on himself. Confused, he lifted his head up, blinking a few times before looking at his surroundings, Hannibal and Will were on either side of him, so much larger than he remembered. They were so warm, so kind,  _ and they loved him so much _ , how Harry ever thought they would turn on him was unimaginable. Still confused he opened his mouth, trying to ask what on earth had happened, only to have a loud, squeaky, shriek come from his mouth, startling him into jumping up and away, an attempt at standing on his own led him to stumble onto the ground, looking down he noticed he seemed to have far too many legs. Laughter from both the stags entered his mind as well as comfort and assurance that he was safe.  _ You have quite the set of lungs on you, little buck. _ Came Will’s voice in his mind, ever affectionate. Harry was still confused as to what had happened, his memory foggy still from his episode, Hannibal explained calmly, and with pride in his mate and his fawn.    
  
A series of images gently shared between the three of them brought Harry closer to reality, the memories slowly became clearer, the snake, the words it had spoken, the surprise from his parents that he had understood what the snake had said. Will and Hannibal had run to save him, taking pain on themselves so he wouldn’t have to, had they not been Ravenstag it would have been their lives they’d given, Harry thought with a shudder. His whole body, thin and frail trembled at the thought of either of them leaving him, more comfort and assurance washed over him.    
  
_ Another wonderful talent you have, my brave little fawn.  _ Came Hannibal’s voice,  _ Those who possess a Parseltongue are truly rare, and truly wonderful. I am only sorry you had to discover this in such a frightening way.  _ __   
__   
_ No, I’ve known.  _ Harry suddenly found himself wanting to say, and somehow found himself able to know his thoughts were conveyed if not said.  _ When my aunt made me tend her garden I would tell the snakes to hide so she didn’t hurt them when she went out to check my work.  _   
  
Pride swelled in Hannibal and Will, though for different reasons, Hannibal was proud of his ability to cultivate his talents by himself to early in life, and Will was so proud of the compassion the boy had despite his own pain.    
  
_ She said she knew I would be in these woods, and she had been waiting for me for a long time… _ __   
__   
_ Don’t worry, little buck, we will comb over this entire forest, better yet, the snake herself is till alive… _ __   
__   
_ Rest assured, my love, now that we have a translator, we will find out how she knew of us, provided Harry is willing of course.  _ __   
__   
_ I am,  _ Harry nodded his little head, his big ears moving faster than his head, flapping a bit as they did.  _ I want to know why she did this…  _ A bit of fear at the snake, still somehow breathing, and seeming to heal right before their eyes, despite Hannibal nearly pummeling her into a paste. __   
__   
_ It’s okay if you don’t want to, you would never be in trouble for that, it’s okay if you’re afraid.  _ Will assured him. Harry nodded, he knew that they would keep the snake from harming him.    
  
_ We will take her back to the house, and seal her in a tank, but first... _ Hannibal paused with a bit of amusement and turned toward Harry.  _ First little fawn you must be able to walk with us until you get better control of your shifting.  _ __   
__   
Harry hadn’t even considered turning back into a human, he looked down at his hooves and back up at his parents in fear, a different kind this time, as they both laughed in good nature and fun. Both standing up to teach him how to take his first steps in his brand new form, this time his first steps would be viewed by those who loved him, and would show the pride such a feat deserved.   
  
And this time no matter what happened he would always have them there to catch him when he fell.    
  
  
  
\--------------------------------   
  
  
  
Hannibal was the only one who bothered turning back to his human self for the trip home, riding on Will’s back as he carried the massive snake, keeping it under powerful enchantment that required his full attention, he wasn’t willing to take any chances, not with his own. Harry walked cautiously, still concentrating on every step, trying to not stumble, he wished they were closer to a field he could gallop in, and try jumping and test his limits. He felt Will assure him that that time would come very soon and before he knew it they were back at the house. Hannibal went inside to trap the snake in something it couldn’t escape while Harry waited outside with Will who had bedded down, Harry bedding down in the curve of his stomach without even thinking. Before he could worry he had made a mistake he felt a tongue combing down through his feathers, learning to walk had been hard work that had dirtied him a bit, and it felt too good for him to be embarrassed. He felt loved and cared for, and Will’s stomach was warm, he snuggled closer and stuck his cold little nose into Will’s side, and felt the older stag ruffle his feathers out, spreading warmth to his little fawn.    
  
Hannibal returned at that moment, the snake shrunken down to fit in a sealed aquarium, he sat it down in front of them before shifting back to his stag form and cuddling up with his little herd. They sat in peace and warmth together until the snake stirred, catching Harry’s attention.    
  
_ Well done little hatchling, you’ve found a way to trick the maneaters into taking you as one of their own... _ Came the harsh voice of the snake.    
  
_ I haven’t tricked anybody, why did you hurt my family?!  _ Harry hissed back angrily and still a bit fearful, seeing the snake move in front of him, very much alive.    
  
_ I smell their prey on them hatchling, until you took on this new form you would have been on the menu, you should be thanking me. I took quite the beating for you, one that would have killed me were it not for the grace of our master… _ Harry stepped back from his indignation and his fear to tell Hannibal and Will what the snake had said. And to ask several questions in turn.    
  
_ I serve no master, they are my family, they never would have hurt me, no matter what.  _ Harry said confidently, only to hear back what could only be seen as a laugh from the snake.   
  
_ No master, my dear little hatchling? I can sense the old wounds that scatter your body, who do you think sacrificed his own soul to cheat death, and giving us new life to do so as well through his gift? The one who gifted you that scar hidden behind those feathers on your crown… _ __   
__   
Harry felt his parents stiffen, they had told him about Voldemort and the horcruxes, of course, they would never keep something like that from him. He felt himself shake in fear before asking the snake,  _ You came to bring him back, by destroying me to get to the shard?  _ His parents pride at his bravery swelled around him, giving him the life jacket he needed to face the answer to the question.    
  
_ Of course not, with no body his fragments are just as good as gone with no host to hold them. Your shard holds the last of who our master was before his mission drove him to madness.  _ __   
__   
_ If he was mad why do you still obey him? Even now that he’s gone?  _ __   
__   
_ I owe him a great debt, and I love him dearly, no matter what monster he became in the past, or what monster he may become upon his return. I want him back, I want to spare him the suffering of madness, which is why I sought you out first. With you as the primary shard I can bring him back to who he was before, I will do everything for your safety, even if it brings your sorrow, as it did when I killed the maneater.  _ __   
__   
_ You didn’t kill him, he stopped you striking at me, you were going to kill me!  _ Another laugh from the snake.    
  
_ My hatchling if I desired your death it would be so, I saved you from the maneater lunging at you. I know I hit my target. The maneater tasted my venom, if you say he is not dead he is only not dead yet.  _ __   
__   
_ They. Are. Not. Maneaters.  _ Harry was growing irritated at the snake, he understood her dilemma, but she was just being...rude… _ They, we, are Ravenstag, your venom does very little to us, they thought you were to harm me, and protected me. It is on their mercy that you live now, even though it is in a fish tank.  _ __   
__   
_ Very well, hatchling, then give them my apologies, and my congratulations on surviving me. If they are willing to stand against me in a fight for you life then they have my blessing to care for you.  _ She said, seeming to think herself magnanimous.    
  
_ I’ll pass it along.  _ Harry hissed back only somewhat bitterly.  _ What will you do with me?  _ __   
__   
_ I will watch over you and ensure your safety for my master until the time comes for him to be reborn, after that, you are on your own. I cannot serve two masters.  _ __   
__   
_ Alright then...since it seems we will be dealing with each other for a while… do you have a name?  _ __   
__   
_ Yes, little hatchling, long ago when I had legs to stand on, I was called Nagini…  _ __   
__   
Harry nodded, and passed the conversation in its entirety to Hannibal and Will, who looked over to the cage. Unsure if this, Nagini was telling the truth or not, she had nothing to lose and her venom wouldn’t work, as a Ravenstag Harry’s bones would be too strong for her to break if she were to constrict him. They had no reason to keep her in a tank. Harry gave her a list of animals she was forbidden from hunting, Will’s dogs, any animal that they brought home to eat themselves. Will and Hannibal did not trust the snake, but they trusted their son, and in a display of that trust they released Nagini, and allowed her to assume her full size again.    
  
__ Well Hannibal, seems he got my habit of picking up strays.  Will said with a laugh while Hannibal concealed a groan, already constructing a large habitat that would suit the snake’s biological needs. In a few moments of silent magic it was finished, and they both caught Harry thinking idly about what other kinds of snakes there were, and how interesting they happened to be. Will laughed again and this time Hannibal failed to conceal his groan. 


	7. Let Beauty Come Out of Ashes

Everyone spent the next few days outside, until Harry figured out how to shift back properly, with only a few mishaps and several internal panic attacks when he half shifted Harry could now seamlessly shift back and forth. He was very grateful that he wouldn’t have to spend the rest of his days looking like a demonic satyer, despite how cute they both thought he was. Will had been rather disappointed that Harry hadn’t allowed Hannibal to sketch him, despite the assurance that this was nothing to be ashamed of.    
  
Even with the ability to shift, Will noted that Harry seemed to be spending more time in the form of a stag, at first it had worried him, until Hannibal had infirmed Will that it was a natural part of being a new fawn. The exploration of something new combined with a child’s curiosity explained everything, but Will still worried Harry would use this to avoid the issues he still had with the past. As much as Will himself hated therapy, perhaps Harry needed some. Hannibal couldn’t do it, he was too close, and while Will could understand better than anybody he was woefully unequipped to help his son that way. And getting Harry to trust them was hard enough without thrusting him at some random stranger and forcing him to talk about all the horrible things in his life.   
  


Will knew that Harry had a long way to go, but he hoped that he would be okay. As he watched his fawn prance up and down the side of a rocky bank on the shore outside their home, his husband walking below the rocks to assure the safety of his son while he frolicked like a mountain goat. Hannibal laughed as Hedwig swooped down from above to pull a feather out of Harry’s tail while he wasn’t expecting it, making him jump in circles for a moment before he saw what had happened. The new additions to their family were only slightly off-putting, Hedwig appearing to enjoy using Hannibal’s antlers as her perch, the dogs keeping their distance but slowly getting used to their shifting in and out of their new forms. However, he would have much preferred Hedwig or the dogs to Nagini making herself at home coiled up around the feathers in his mane.    
  
Nagini seemed to take quite a shine to him the more time she spent around the family. She hardly ever left Harry out of her sight, but whenever Will happened to be around which was often she spent her time using him as a perch. At first Harry thought that she didn’t want to mess with Hedwig protecting Harry from her, since they had all forbidden her from eating the owl that had protected Harry while they couldn’t. And since Hedwig had no such restrictions the first few weeks had been spent with Hedwig rocketing down from the sky, snatching Nagini in her claws, carrying her off and then dropping her over the bay. The large owl eventually calmed down somewhat once she saw that the large snake meant Harry no harm, and had been taking shelter with Will but every now and again was caught staring at Nagini, waiting for an opportunity.    
  
The bright white coat Harry sported was always dirty by the end of the day, and while scenting their son clean was always a good way to bond as a family there were plenty of things he got into that neither he nor Hannibal wanted to taste. Will remembered when not a week earlier Harry had gotten into an unfortunate scrape with a skunk, every young boy who grew up in the woods faced that right of passage, though he and Hannibal wished that they had been better prepared for it. Rather than using tomato juice Hannibal’s understanding of chemistry came into use and instead he bathed their son in a paste made of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. It didn’t make him smell better but at least that particular mixture could be washed off.    
  
Will left Hannibal with Harry as he walked back into the house. It was his tenth birthday, the boy hadn’t told them, they only reason they knew was by digging up his birth certificate. Will wondered if Harry himself even knew, but either way, they had planned a good day for him. Hannibal had a cake baking in the oven while Will wrapped presents from the both of them, they would trade off shifts in making sure Harry was occupied outside while everything got set up so their son would have a perfect birthday.   
  
  
  
  
\----------------------------   
  
  
  
Mrs. Figg didn’t know what to do. She’d told Dumbledore of how cruel the Dursleys were, she had only seen what they had shown the rest of their neighbors, and while it was certainly cruel, the favoritism, the excessive chores, and the snide remarks the boy had lived with. Mrs. Figg always suspected it was worse, something in her gut just knew it, the boy had bruises, sure, but all boys got bruises growing up. She knew that short of the Dark Lord showing himself to spirit Harry away into the night Dumbledore wouldn’t take the boy, wouldn’t listen, and would leave him there much as he had that cold night when his parents had died.    
  
That was why she had said nothing, when she had seen the creature her great great grandmother had told her stories of leap on all fours to Harry’s rescue...she did not stop him. She did not tell Dumbledore, suspected that unless Harry failed to show up for his first year at Hogwarts he wouldn’t lift a finger to even ensure the safety of the poor boy. Mrs. Figg watched the Albutraum Hirsch now on two legs carry a boy in his arms, hardly alive, and felt sick at what she had let happen. She couldn’t play innocence or claim she didn’t know, she’d seen the abuse shown, and had known deep down it was probably worse than what the Dursleys let their neighbors see, and had still done nothing other than write letters to a man that would not listen.    
  
Her grossmutter had told her stories of the stag that ferries souls to the underworld, who eats the evil in the world, who could not be killed by any magic, and she had only half believed them until now. Magical creatures, sure, but that cannot be killed by any magic, no matter how dark? She had seen too much of the war and knew that no magic no matter how dark couldn’t get darker, crueler, destroying everything. Mrs. Figg watched the man carrying the boy apparate away, she didn’t have to check to know that Vernon and Petunia were dead. Using the untraceable magic she taught herself as a child to escape being caught by the ministry for being underage she moved Harry’s papers from the messy pile they had been left in to a box, sealed tight, right where the stag could see it. Somehow knowing Harry was alive, finally safe. She watched as the stag returned, finding her gift, and obliviating and altering the memories of all those in the area that would know Harry had been there at the time of the murder. Mrs. Figg went to the school that Harry had attended and destroyed his records, altering the memories of the students one by one, as fast as she could, hoping that when her time came, the actions she took tonight would ease the anger of the great stag when it came for her soul. She had wanted to do her best for the poor boy. But good intentions didn’t amount to action, or lack thereof in her case, abusers are never punished with enough harshness for the damage they do to others. Those who witness abuse without seeking retribution for those harmed must also pay a penalty, she knew she would never be able to pay enough, for witnessing the pain of others. All that was left to do was leave as well. She would not tell Dumbledore, if he cared even a fraction as much as he seemed to think he did then her lack of letters should be a clue. Hoping that Harry led a better life from then on, with the Great Stag, she left, she had no reason to stay there, and a lot to make up for.    
  
  
  
\-------------------   
  
  
  
It took six months for Dumbledore to suspect anything. The first clue he had was that he hadn’t heard from Mrs. Figg in a rather long time, normally she sent letters constantly. He was glad he had chosen her, true she did overreact to many things, but it showed she had a strong maternal side to her, and should anything happen to the Dursleys he hoped he could convince her to take Harry in. There were worse things in life than a mother figure that over reacted to every little bruise. Truthfully, he wouldn’t have noticed even that soon if Severus hadn’t asked to see the letters Mrs. Figg sent, feeling melancholy, wanting to feel close to Lily he supposed.    
  
After a letter of his own sent to Mrs. Figg went ignored, he decided to give the woman a visit, Severus in tow, only to find an empty house. A thin layer of dust coated everything, they both searched for a note telling them where she had gone. Perhaps the Dursleys had moved, and Mrs. Figg had followed them? Perhaps they had gone on vacation? With a snap of his fingers Dumbledore rendered them invisible enough for Muggles and walked to the Dursleys home, confident everything was alright, and that Mrs. Figg had a lot to explain.   
  
  
  
\-------------------   
  
  
  
Severus had woken one night in a cold sweat. The dream he’d been having for a week haunting him once more, he was a child again, running with Lily, watching her create something with the flowers around them, having a wonderful time before that rotten sister of hers had come. Petunia came out of nowhere, flying into a rage, in a blink of an eye Lily vanished and Petunia was destroying whatever her sister had made. Always before he could stop her a stag came and gored her, pinning her to the black walls on his mind, taking whatever mangled remains of Lily’s creation with him as he disappeared, unable to find the stag no matter how hard he ran. Severus knew that Petunia had Harry in her care, he knew in his heart that she would never be kind to the boy, but at least she was too cowardly to actually harm him. The stag must have been his mental interpretation of James, always snatching away what little was left of Lily…    
  
The dreams stuck with him until he grew worried, he asked Dumbledore to read the letters his informant watching Harry had sent recently, having no desire to read through ten years worth of updates. Only to find there hadn’t been any in six months, of course something had gone wrong, how could that old fool not have seen it?  _ Six months?? _ It was lunacy that he had not been checking up on them himself, at least on occasion.    
  
Now here they were, invisible, watching in horror as a child, who must have been Petunia’s son he had heard about such a long, long time ago, wept in the arms of a stout toady woman. Wearing so much makeup and perfume even the structure of her face was a mystery through the layers of concealer and rouge, the stink of her overpowering scent causing him to squint even at a distance further obscuring her face. Further analysis revealed that only some of the wretched smell happened to be her perfume, the rest of it seemed came from several hideous bulldogs, in heat, giving birth, and mating freely all over the place.    
  
Looking around, there was no evidence of Harry, through that search was halted momentarily by the shrine at one end of the living room. To Petunia and her husband, complete with flowers and framed obituaries, still invisible and wary of garnering the attention from the two mourning relatives they searched for Harry. The search changed from trying to find Harry to trying to find any scrap of evidence that he had existed at all. Severus read the obituaries and found out that Vernon and Petunia had been murdered in their beds while their son was at summer camp, he had come home, expecting to find his family waiting for him only to find his parents dead and rotting away. As painful as it was, and as rude as it felt, he whispered the spell that would let him into the boys mind, searching and finding nothing, other than his memories had been altered.    
  
Harry was not in his mind any more than he was in this house.    
  
Grabbing Albus by the sleeve and apparating them both away to a safe distance he let out his panic. And his rage.   
  
“How could you not check up on them?!” He shouted at the old man, who looked sorely ashamed.    
  
“I left him under protection, the ward…”   
  
“The wards were gone! Like they were never there! Like  _ Harry _ was never there!” Fear gripped him, this child was all they had against Voldemort...all he had left of Lily. “I’ll find him myself.” He sneered before snapping his fingers and vanishing.    
  
Closing his eyes and doing his best to relax himself he reached out, looking for anything in anyone’s mind that resembled Harry, what little he could search for anyways, Severus hadn’t seen him since he was a baby. There! A baby, trapped in the mind of some old nun at an orphanage. They’d dumped him off when they’d gotten him then. He combed through the records until he found Harry’s file, perfectly generic, giving a description of a young boy who lived there for nine years until adopted by two men.    
  
_ William Graham, Hannibal Lecter _ .    
  
At reading the name his heart stopped, he only remembered the Lecter name from his studies with an ancient druid. They had been killed, all of them...in the Muggle world war, or so he thought. There must have been a sole survivor, meaning there was one last Ravenstag in the world.    
  
One last Ravenstag who had Harry, who’d left no traceable address on the file. Raising his wand he summoned a Patronus, and set it to search for Hannibal Lecter, to give him a message, desiring to meet him. If Hannibal Lecter was a true Lecter, and a true Ravenstag Severus would never be able to find him, a Patronus on the other hand wasn’t so bound by the rules. He only hoped that the man would agree, and wouldn’t send the Patronus back with nothing. Until then he would stay in this spot and wait for a response.   
  
  
  
\-----------------   
  
  
  
Hannibal was thankfully alone when the image of a glowing white doe appeared before him along the borders of their lands. He listened carefully to the doe before accepting the invitation, mostly out of curiosity. From someone who claimed to care for Harry? Surely they couldn’t have cared for him very much to leave him in such appalling conditions, not to mention taking so long to notice his absence from his aunt and uncle. Making his way back to their home at a steady trot he pondered who this person might be, how they had been so bold as to send a patronus, for all they knew he could have been Muggles. Either way he would need Will, and as for Harry, he had Nagini and Hedwig watching him, and the boy was responsible for his age, he never set a toe out of line once the line was drawn, even now when he could feel for himself how much he and Will loved him. He still worried that they would drop him at the first sign of difficulty.    
  
In the end he and Will decided that they would leave after Harry was asleep, They left him under the careful watch of Hedwig, watching from outside his window, the dogs in his room, surrounding his bed, and Nagini in the house. All would keep watch and keep him safe, nothing could harm their son with that guard around.    
  
They arrived to Snape in the darkness, Hannibal walking first, Will staying behind in the woods as a stag, well hidden of course. Communicating to Hannibal as he walked forward as to what kind of person their visitor was, how much of a threat he could be, and of course as a surprise back up if and when this man needed to be dispatched. He approached the man in front of them.    
  
“Severus Snape, I presume?”   
  
“Yes, that is correct, Hannibal Lecter, adopted father of Harry Potter. Or is it Harry Lecter, now?”   
  
“I fail to see why my son is any of your concern in any way. You stated that you were concerned for him.”   
  
“Yes, he was meant to be raised by his maternal aunt, and her family. I’m curious as to why that didn’t happen.”    
  
Hannibal knew that Harry’s aunt and uncle had been discovered, keeping the flash of smug out of his smile, he decided to feign ignorance.    
  
“We know nothing of Harry’s biological relatives I’m afraid, and neither does he. He was raised at the orphanage and was given a closed adoption, no contact was given throughout his childhood. Have they changed their minds, then?”    
  
“No. They have not.” Snape unlike many knew how close he was walking the tightrope of life and death with his tone, not knowing Will was his saving grace, telling Hannibal it was not meant to be directed at him.   
  
“A pity then, are you from the paternal side of his biological family? Or were you chasing after his fame in our world? If you are the latter I’m afraid you will be forbidden from contacting Harry or my family ever, under any circumstances.”    
  
“I am neither.” Snape kicked himself, he hadn’t meant to say it so harshly an apologised. “I happened to be a dear friend of Harry’s mother, through our childhoods. During the war I was sent undercover as a Death Eater, only Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts knew it was a ruse. Lily, was extremely upset over it and severed our friendship, understandably so.”    
  
“Lily was the boys mother then? I grieve with you for your loss.” Hannibal said, listening to the voice in his ear, telling him that he was being told the truth, and that Snape thought that he was being given it in turn. The man nodded before continuing.    
  


“Lily was an incredible woman, the most brilliant witch of our age, and James, his father...he and I didn’t much care for one another, but he made Lily so happy I suppose he grew on me over time. They both died thinking I was a Death Eater, after the war I was going to be able to reveal myself, but as you know...they didn’t make it.” Snape took a deep breath, reaching into his robe, Hannibal suspected to pull out some memento, instead he pulled out an ancient tome. “This was given to me by a Sphynx named Kahlid, when I was a boy, I traded my father’s liver for it. It contains every wizard creature in existence. Had the Dark Lord never been I like to think I may have followed in the footsteps of Newt Scamander. I found your family name in it, long ago, I thought your family had all died out, in the last great war, yet here you stand, presumably the last of the Great Ravenstag.”    
  
Hannibal remained still as Will walked out of the forest behind him, not returning to his human skin, and instead choosing to stand quietly. Looking st Snapes face all he saw was fearful awe, he had worked for a man determined to overcome death, yes, but now he stood before the closest thing to death incarnate as the world would ever have. Hannibal remained silent, and kept his side of the bond that way as well, it had been so long that he was able to watch what Will would do, and he was so very curious. This was rewarded as Will walked forward slowly, the man before them frozen, unsure of what would happen, would the massive, powerful beings do nothing? Would they guide him gently to death, or gore him violently?    
  
Will walked ever closer to the man, and held out his muzzle, with a shaking hand one might use towards a Hippogriff that had not bowed back, but had made no move to kill, Snape reached out to touch…   
  
_ Can you hear me now?  _ __   
__   
Rang in Snape’s mind.    
  
  
  
\-------------   
  
  
  
Instead of returning directly home, he and Hannibal snapped back to the forest surrounding it, opting to walk home together, it was a beautiful night after all, and Will never got tired of seeing Hannibal’s pelt glisten in the moonlight. He looked like a blanket of stars so bright they didn’t need the moon.    
  
_ You scented him, and cast the protection of our kind on him, my love. _ __   
__   
_ Yeah, I didn’t know that then but...it just felt like what I should do. We can trust him, Hannibal, and when Harry goes to Hogwarts, I’ll be glad that someone will be there familiar with Harry and us enough to keep him from getting into too much trouble.  _ __   
__   
_ Oh? And our son getting in trouble is something you foresee?  _ __   
__   
_ He’s a kid, Hannibal, they’re resilient, he will always have the scars his aunt and uncle gave him, but by the time he goes to school, I think that we will have built him up into a proper troublemaker.  _ __   
__   
_ I trust your judgment, Will, as I trust the Sphynx.  _ __   
__   
_ Of course you knew the Sphynx... _ Will couldn’t help but roll his eyes, Hannibal knocking his antlers against his beloved’s playfully.    
  
_ I was always a social butterfly, my dear. To think the student he knew was Severus, it truly is a small world after all. Kahlid must have cared for him very much, to strike a deal with a Sphynx, one must offer their own liver, and not expect it back. _ __   
__   
Will rolled his eyes again and huffed a bit. Which Hannibal ignored.   
  
_ When we show Harry the pictures and letters he will no doubt want to meet Severus.  _ __   
__   
_ Yeah, it is whats fair.  _ __   
__   
There wasn’t even a moment of apprehension between them, whether Harry chose to tell his soon to be teacher the truth, was up to him. The man had admitted to his own terrible deeds, both sanctioned by the wizarding world and condemned, striking a deal with a wizard creature using such dark magic was so harshly frowned upon, something they would have to impress upon Harry before he went out into the world. Will’s instincts were correct, Severus could be trusted.    
  
_ You’re worried still, my love. _ __   
__   
_ I know, it’s just...he’s  _ ** _ours_ ** _ , and I love him so much. I know it’s unrealistic to try and measure up to his real parents, they’re dead there isn’t any way to compete with that.  _ __   
__   
_ Will, we  _ ** _are_ ** _ Harry’s real parents, and there is no competition between us and his biological parents. Even if that were the case it simply is not up to us, that will be Harry’s choice, and it may even change over the course of his life. We cannot change this, nor should we, to shut out his past would be unfair to all of us. Without them we would not have our son, and we cannot deny him the chance to know his blood. All we can do is ensure that he knows we love him tremendously, and the only thing we should worry about is to ensure that he doesn’t ruminate on things he is unable to change.  _ __   
__   
They had both stopped their slow walk back home at this point, Will looking to the sky and Hannibal as always looking at Will, who nodded once in response before pressing his side into his mate.    
  
_ How’d I ever manage to get so lucky?  _ Will dragged his tongue gently up the ridge of Hannibal’s long ear.  _ I can’t imagine any scenario in any universe under any circumstances where I’m even a fraction as close to happy as I am with you. I could never do this, not with anyone, I couldn’t have a family, I couldn’t have ever dreamed of even considering that, let alone adopting.  _ He pressed his muzzle under his mates jaw his antlers getting in the way only a bit.  _ You’ve given me  _ ** _everything_ ** _ , I could never have been happy without you, never have eloped to Ireland, never gotten married. How could I have ever lived without you?  _ __   
__   
_ You will never have to live without me, my love.  _ Hannibal vowed, turning his head to give a gentle lick up Will’s muzzle, and more over his crown. He hadn’t pushed this since they’d left the united states, but...it was nearing the time for the Midsomer rituals after all. Hannibal adjusted slightly before continuing his grooming down Will’s neck, and if it was over the mating bite Hannibal had given him, well then that was certainly an accident. After all, with everything that had gone on, they hadn’t even had time to mate. Will shivered as Hannibal gave him a gentle nip on his throat, hardly noticing as he slowly trailed his grooming down Will’s side, until he reached his belly, heading further south.    
  
_ Hannibal!  _ __   
__   
_ We’re mated, my Will, and this form is part of us, there is nothing wrong with mating in this form… _ __   
__   
Will shivered where he stood, it felt wonderful, yet still just a bit off. He stepped away just a bit, nipping Hannibal on the haunches before taking off, towards home, with his mate hot on his heels and a plan in mind, after all, Harry slept through the night without fail, but there was no reason they had to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut next chapter? 
> 
> Stag form or human form? I'm on the fence.


	8. The Best Things in Life Come With A Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut in this chapter, right at the beginning

Will loved feeling the forest pound back against his hooves as he ran from his husband across it, having the time of his life as Hannibal came in front of him with ease, locking their antlers together and pushing back hard. They wrestled together for a time, getting more and more ramped up, Hannibal wasn’t tired in the least, but this wasn’t a fight to win, this was just foreplay. Will wrenched his way out of Hannibal’s antlers and charged forward, leaving a bite on his shoulder, giving it a lick before Hannibal returned the bite his haunches had gotten earlier, causing Will to jump a bit as Hannibal’s teeth were sharp in human form, but as a stag there was nothing sharper.    
  
Using Will’s distraction to his advantage to get beside him, noting he was already beginning to get excited, and with one lick the fight was over. Will froze as Hannibal teased him out of his sheath, unsure of what to do but still enjoying himself as he learned that their tongues were rougher on parts that had no fur. As Hannibal raised his head Will shook as if coming out of a trance, groaning as he got used to pleasure in this new form, and shocked again as Hannibal walked behind him, giving his hole a firm lick. Something in his biology made him freeze as Hannibal kept on licking him, noticing that he started producing his own wetness, Will’s breath came quicker as his cock bobbed for attention that couldn’t be given right this moment, which only charged his desire more.    
  
Finally he felt Hannibal rear up on his hind legs and mount him, his forelegs grasping Will’s barrel as he held on, his teeth sinking into his thick neck as he thrust forward. Hannibal thrusted a few times before entering, teasing his hole with torturous grazes before finally entering and thrusting hard, Will panted as his pleasure screasted but never topelled, it wasn’t enough. It was the only time he would curse how long Hannibal could last before he gave his final thrusts and finished, the feeling of semen leaking from his hole intoxicating him.    
  
Will shifted back to his human form after Hannibal dismounted, and grabbed his rack firmly before apparating to their bedroom, Hannibal shifted back to his human form just in time for Will to shove him hard onto their mattress.   
  
“Eager, my darling?” Hannibal asked smugly.    
  
“You know it.” Will replied, giving his lips a sharp nip, leading to a passionate kiss. What started out of viciously passionate burned down to gentler but no less intense lovemaking. Both mutually worshipping the others body, Will kissing and biting his way down Hannibal, hefting a leg up over his shoulder. “Is this good?”    
  
“More than good, Will, please…”   
  
That was permission enough, as he still ever so gently and sweetly ran his tongue up Hannibal’s thigh, paying very little attention to his half hard penis, careful of how sensitive it would be after the fun he had as a stag. Will ran his tongue up and down his hole, circling it teasingly as his husband moaned gently above him, enjoying every second of this despite his sensitive state. When Will deemed him ready a while later he leaned up to him gently, asking again if he was alright, and receiving enthusiastic consent in return.    
  
For how long Hannibal had lasted it had done half the job for Will already, what he lacked in endurance he had made up for in foreplay. Next time he vowed to go first, which pleased Hannibal to no end, both of them merely charming the mess away for clutching each other tight before falling into a deep sleep.    
  
\--------   
  
The next morning both woke with pleasant aches and pains, though any bruising had already healed, which was a shame, Hannibal had wanted to keep those bite marks for a while longer. They shared a shower with one another, their own personal honeymoon, short as it had to be, Harry would be awake soon, if he wasn’t already. So they stepped out, Hannibal watched smiling as Will dried himself off, and was not surprised in any way when Will threw a towel at his head calling him a pervert, and he definitely didn’t plan on getting revenge later. Not in any way. Whatsoever.    
  
As they went downstairs, Harry was already there, trying to reach a pot from the hook on the Dutch ceiling mount, but the malnutrition in his previous life has stunted his growth. Hannibal was happy that none of his ribs could be seen from outside his body anymore at least, he hoped to put more weight on the boy, he had a growth spurt to look forward to.   
  
“Good morning, Harry.” Harry jumped and fell backwards off of the chair he was using as a stool, Will caught him under the arms and set him upright. Hannibal and Will both laughed a bit as Harry turned red as having to be saved. “Were you planning on making us breakfast, son?”    
  
Harry nodded, saying that he hadn’t had a chance to since living here because neither he nor Will slept late enough for Harry to do so. Even with assurances that he didn’t have to, they didn’t expect him to provide for care for them like he had been made to do previously. Still he insisted that he wanted to and so, both Hannibal and Will sat down at the table and watched their boy cook them a simple meal of toast, poached eggs, and some small sausages. He and Will both sang Harry’s praises for the rest of the morning, hugging him tightly, now that he seemed to be somewhat alright with their touch, provided it was clearly telegraphed and didn’t last long.    
  
“Harry, Will? How would you both like to take a walk to the farmers market in town? We could do with some milk, eggs, maybe even have a picnic on the way home?”    
  
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Harry, what do you think?”    
  
A quick nod from Harry, who still had his mouth full with some toast. Hannibal smiled, he seemed very excited about it. Hannibal even planned to let Harry get some candy floss, despite how vile it was he remembered how much he and Mischa loved it as children. He looked to Will, both nodding, they would tell Harry about Severus during the picnic, let him look at photos, and read the letters. On the walk back home they would ask him if he wanted to meet his mother’s former friend, if he wanted to do it sooner rather than later, or if he needed time to think about it. Everything would be up to him, no matter what he wanted to do.    
  
It was a long walk on two legs, but it was still a beautiful day, blue sky but with enough clouds and wind that it wasn’t too hot, and the exorcise was nice. Will and Hannibal walked arm in arm, as Harry trotted just in front of them, excited to be out, but still nervous, there wasn’t yet a protocol he could follow for this activity. When the farmer’s market became visible Harry stood still in excitement, staring openly at it, Hannibal thought for sure that Harry was probably not let out of the house aside from the cheap school that his aunt and uncle had by law required to send him to. He’d probably never been to a fair, a market, or even a town in his life.    
  
Hannibal opened his wallet and pulled out some money, and told Harry to go and have fun, buy a ride on the small carnival games set up for children off to the side, or buy some toys, or whatever he wanted, but not to buy food, as it would not only spoil his lunch but also possibly make him very sick indeed. After all there was someone chopping onions for bratwurst next to a petting zoo that had let sheep just wander around, god only knows what bacteria was contaminating those onions. He pretended not to notice when Will rolled his eyes and give him some extra money from his own wallet and told Harry to buy himself an ice cream cone. Harry looked ready to cry with gratitude before he gave them both a tight hug and ran off in the direction of the petting zoo, he’d never seen livestock before.    
  
“If he eats that ice cream, gets on a ride and then becomes ill, he will ride back home on  _ your _ back, my dear.” Hannibal warned, as Will gently hip checked him.    
  
“Do we tell him during the picnic, or after?” Will asked, ignoring the warning he had been given.    
  
“I believe we should wait until after a good portion of his meal is eaten at least, he is still much too thin, we can have some tea and tell him about it. Find out if he wants to see the pictures and read the letters.”    
  
It was going to be an experience for all of them. It would be jarring and emotional for Harry to have information on his family after so long, and having nothing to go on aside from them being dead, to knowing they’d given their lives for him. To knowing that someone could have saved him long before Hannibal and Will, that there were people out there who could have stopped what was happening and did nothing, that gave Harry to those horrible people. There wasn’t a way to tell him about it that wouldn’t hurt.    
  
They watched Harry through the bond as the child had fun, petted a sheep, got knocked down by a ram, rode a carousel, thankfully before he had an ice cream cone, and thus did not become ill. Will examined some fish that couldn’t be found in the waters near their home, setting them down without picking any, picking out an excellent selection of roasts instead.    
  
“I could make us some Philly Cheesesteaks for our picnic? Harry has yet to see me in action with food, or have any American food.” Will offered, as he looked at a selection of ribeye roasts, selecting two and putting them in the reusable bags Hannibal had brought, charmed to keep everything cool. They also picked out onions, peppers, as well as other vegetables and fruits, saving the dairy items for last, getting a large supply of eggs, and some spices that had been farmed in a local garden club. They got some good bread for the picnic, Hannibal of course made his own bread, except for just this once, and some tea leaves. There were very nice people at the market, very polite and sweet, one even giving them a decent portion of a coffee cake she had made for free with the cheeses they’d purchased.    
  
They called for their son, who came at once, waving goodbye to the other children he’d begun shyly speaking to before running up to his guardians. Harry surprised both of them by running up between them and grabbing both their free hands seemingly without realizing it, both simply smiled and held the hands of the precious boy between them. They walked along the path they came in on for a while, until they took a detour, walking through the grassy woods before coming to a clearing on the water, Hannibal watched his husband as with a flick of his hand he transfigured grass around them into a picnic cloth, showing off to their son. Harry was delighted as he always was with magic whenever it was performed.    
  
They took a seat on the cloth while Hannibal made a teapot for their tea, Will summoned a fire and wordlessly and wandlessly, as he had taught himself long before he got himself a wand sliced meat and vegetables in the air above a wide eyed Harry.    
  
“How come you use a wand, when he uses his hands?” Harry whispered, not wanting to distract Will. Hannibal smiled, explaining that Will had not been raised as magic, and had taught himself, and had to relearn how to do magic with a wand. Magic was perfectly do-able without a wand, but extremely difficult for most people, as was wordless magic. More powerful magic worked best with a wand, and everyone should have one, and here everyone did. But in America they were not always so lucky, and many did without. “Will I ever get a wand?” Harry asked, to which Hannibal answered that yes, he would, when he would be getting ready for school, but first he had to master the first part.    
  
“Intent, it is the most important part of magic, Harry. For some it is the easiest, and for other the hardest, take up a handful of grass.” Harry obeyed, riveted to Hannibal. “You saw how the teapot was made, the sleight of hand was something I prefer to do because it helps me cast. When a movement feels natural to you when casting then that is the best course of action. Everyone’s magic is different, letting it flow through the body is the way it wishes is important, trust the magic, it is yours.” He paused for a moment, sensing the magic tingling in Harry’s fingertips. “Now Harry, I want you to imagine a teacup for yourself, to enjoy our tea with. Let the magic move through you, it is important, the intent is what will guide it, relax and let it happen.”    
  
Will paused what he was doing to watch as Harry concentrated hard, he was trying to push the magic before it was ready, which was common for young, impatient wizards to expect the magic to come as fast as an adult’s. Just like any other muscle it had to be trained, it had to be exercised and given time to improve. With patience it would come. Still, they were delighted to see Harry move both his hands away from the grass, which began to spin itself between them before shaping itself roughly into the shape of a teacup. Harry opened his eyes, watching the cup fall into his lap, it wasn’t very pretty at all, it looked like a cup made out of smashed grass someone had put into a mold. But it was solid and would likely have held tea for a few moments even, they watched their son’s face fall in disappointment.    
  
“Well done, Harry!” Hannibal spoke with as much glee in his voice as had ever been heard. “That was a beautiful attempt!” Harry looked shocked, surely Hannibal couldn’t be impressed with the mess he’d made? At the look of disbelief on his face Hannibal sang the praises of what he did accomplish, instead of the ways it lacked, and Harry even tentatively started to believe him, and Will cut in as well.    
  
“He’s right, you know, I’ve never seen a first attempt at magic go so well. When I first tried making a cup it melted into tar on my hands, then burst into flames.” Harry let one chuckle out before covering his mouth, feeling a bit better about his attempt, even though it made him tired in a way he hadn’t ever really felt before. “Let’s eat guys. Philly Cheesesteaks, its from America, my country.” Harry watched it with interest as it floated over to him, a plate materializing under it. He ate heartily, his appetite large enough to finish his entire meal for once, something that made both Hannibal and Will very happy. Once they were finished, and simply waiting for the tea to finish, Hannibal made Harry a functioning teacup, keeping the one Harry had made an attempt on, it would go on the dining room table in a glass case.    
  
“Harry, we met someone recently. And we think that you should know about him, and what he told us.” Will started. The boy froze, looking at them with wide eyes and pale skin.    
  
“It’s alright, you’re not in any trouble and this news isn’t bad.” Hannibal assured him. “Drink some tea, everything is fine.” He waited until Harry finished before continuing. “Your aunt, she was your mother’s sister. We know she told you nothing of either of your parents, aside from that they were gone. Someone reached out to us, who knew your mother, and had been friends with her a long time ago.” He let Will step in for a bit, this part would be difficult.    
  
“As it turns out Harry, per your parents wishes, you were never meant to go live with your aunt and uncle, your godfather, a man named Sirius Black was meant to care for you, though sadly he is currently in prison.” Will took a moment to pause, indicating for Harry to drink more tea, as the boy grew very pale. “This man, his name is Severus Snape, and he gave us some pictures of your family, and some letters that your mother wrote to him as children. Would you like to see them?”    
  
Harry shakily nodded before taking the pictures, setting the letters down beside him, probably wanting to read them later in private. It was hard for the both of them, to watch the boy go through so many painful emotions. But they both waited patiently for Harry to finish gazing at the pictures.    
  
“They look like me...they...they look so happy.” He picked up another one, one that had so many other people in it. “Who are these people they’re with?” Harry asked, dazed, Hannibal taking the lead once more.    
  
“Those are a group of people your family belonged to, who fought against the Dark Lord, who you defeated, after he gave you that scar. They called themselves the Order of the Phoenix, we don’t know everyone in the picture, but we can name a few.” Hannibal pointed out Sirius Black, the Longbottoms, the famous Alastor Moody, and of course, Albus and Aberforth Dumblebore. Taking the plunge he told Harry the truth, Albus Dumbledore had given him to his aunt, and he was Headmaster of the school that he would be attending in the future. Harry was quiet for a while before asking a question, trying his hardest to be brave.    
  
“So, you’re going to make me live with someone in the picture now?” They both assured him that wouldn’t happen, though it didn’t seem to help, Harry was upset by the information, he didn’t know what he was feeling, he only knew that it was bad, and he didn’t like it. He felt so alone in that moment that all he could do was sit perfectly still, as hot shameful tears fell from his eyes. Harry didn’t know why he was crying he just didn’t know what else to do, he felt afraid, he felt hurt, he felt angry all at once. He almost didn’t notice as he was pulled into someone’s lap, he couldn’t tell which, but nevertheless both held him close, and he never wanted to lose this. He would do anything, give anything for these men. Harry finally got enough air to speak.    
  
“Please, I want to stay with you, I don’t want to go, I don’t ever want to go, I want to stay,”    
  
He couldn’t bear the thought of being alone, and held onto whichever man was holding him as tight as he could. Harry knew that they weren’t going to send him away, it was just, all he could think of to say. He felt himself being picked up, still holding onto the warm bodies of the men who had taken him in and given him  _ everything. _ He felt coarse facial hair brush his face, and a gentle kiss being placed on his forehead, it must be Will then who was holding him. Hannibal was packing up their things, before he returned to Harry, holding both of them tight, the horrible feeling of apparating choking him, and briefly renewing his cries.    
  
Before he knew it he was being pulled into a bed, the clothes on his body shifting into something looser and cooler, his shoes gone as well. Harry’s emotions were running out of steam, but still pouring from his eyes. He felt another warm body, Hannibal crawling into the bed as well, holding him tight as he held Will, stroking his hair and whispering assurances of love and kindness into his ear as his misery leaked out of his soul. He felt so relieved, like the infection had started to be washed out of a hideous open wound, and now it could finally begin to scar over, and let him live. Harry was so exhausted, but still had so many tears to shed still, so much he wanted to say, and feel and the inaction on his part in the face of the directionless emotions leeched his energy and salted his pain all at once.    
  
His tears slowed down at long last, dehydration taking its toll, Harry rested his head on Will’s chest, moving his face around trying to find a dry spot before Hannibal charmed it dry. He was so tired he couldn’t think, and could only feel the echo of the raging emotions that had shattered the afternoon, he obeyed when Hannibal asked him to open his mouth, and swallowed the cool water that helped ease his now sore throat. Harry finally felt better, both Will and Hannibal holding him tight, he was nice and warm. He didn’t like the picture, he felt some curiosity had been satisfied, getting to see who gave him which traits and such, but looking at them felt somehow wrong. They had given Harry life and yet, they didn’t feel like parents to him, they weren’t there for him, and it wasn’t their fault they weren’t here, which made him feel horrible for even thinking that.   
  
He felt guilty, but he was glad. Hannibal and Will were the best two people he’d ever known, granted he didn’t know many, but he wouldn’t change anything. Not even living with the Dursleys if it meant he got to stay with them. Harry’s breathing was normal, he felt himself slowly drifting to sleep, as he did he finally spoke, he was so tired and it was hard, but this was important.    
  
“I don’t like it...I...they’re not mine…”    
  
“Don’t worry about it, Harry.” Came Will’s voice.   
  
“Everything is alright, hush now.” There was Hannibal, just behind his ear.   
  
“No. I don’t want them...I don’t like it...I want you to be mine…I, I  _ need _ you to be mine.”    
  
They both gave him a reassuring squeeze and more gentle kisses.    
  
“We are yours, my little fawn.”    
  
“Hannibal’s right, we’re all yours, everything’s gonna be okay.”    
  
Harry loved it when Will got relaxed and happy and his accent changed around into a drawl, he loved how different Will and Hannibal were, how much they loved each other, and he wanted them all to stay like this forever, and never change.    
  
“I don’t want them. I want you to be my dads…” He finally pushed out of his mouth.    
  
“Of course, always, love.” Hannibal whispered.    
  
“We love you so much, we’ll always be your dads, I promise you.” Will told him.    
  
The last little bit of tension leached from Harry, his eyes finally closing, letting the warmth and love that surrounded him push him into sleep, the feeling of being cradled and safe following him into his dreams.    
  


  
  
  
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When Harry woke he didn’t remember his dreams, but somehow knew he should. Then he didn’t know why. He couldn’t bring himself to care, he felt more comfortable than he had in his life, he felt strong arms around him, both below him and behind him. He had cuddled with Hannibal and will as a fawn, and it had been wonderful, but this was entirely new. There was a warm person underneath him, he felt skin under his cheek and chest, coarse hair pressed against his back, Harry wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. As it was, however, he was still, his head hurt, and he needed to use the toilet, he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar room, he tried moving slowly so as not to disturb the men surrounding him, as impossible as that was, he heard Hannibal speak first.    
  
“Good evening, Harry.” He said, and jolted a little bit, waking up Will.   
  
“Are you feeling better now?” He asked. Harry nodded, he didn’t know what else to do or say, so he let Hannibal talk.    
  
“You said some interesting things earlier today before our nap, Harry. Are you ready to talk about them?” He really wasn’t but he knew it needed to be over with, and it would be easier now. His brain was still recovering from his outburst, leaving his anxiety little to work with. “We want you to understand that we love you, so very much. We know you feel it across the bond, but it is not the same as having it heard, and you deserve to have it heard. We love you, and we are proud of you, nothing you do will change that, no matter what you think, there is nothing you could do that would ever make us dislike you, do you understand?” Harry nodded, and Will spoke then, he always liked how they took turns speaking to him, neither one speaking to him more or less and never talking over each other as the Dursleys had. They never had those conversations where each was trying to win by talking the most and the most aggressively.    
  
“Harry, it’s alright to have any feelings you have about your birth parents. They brought you into this world, and they aren’t here anymore. Whatever you feel, good, bad, or nothing, you don’t owe anyone any reason for why you feel however you feel about them, that’s something for you, and you alone. That being said, we would like you to talk to us about what you’re feeling, if its good or bad, because we love you, and we want to help if you need it, and nothing will change that.” Will held him tighter as he spoke longer, he closed his eyes as Hannibal stroked his hair and kissed the top of his head. “We don’t want to do anything that will ever make you uncomfortable, if you don’t want to keep the pictures or letters you don’t have to, and if you want to know about your birth parents we will get you as much information as possible. Just like we told you last night, we are your parents now, and we love you.”    
  
The relief that flooded Harry at those words set free some dark brooding horror within his bones he hadn’t thought about in far too long. The darkness that tempted him to have the venomous snakes that wandered into his aunt’s garden bite Dudley so he could see the misery his aunt and uncle would suffer with his loss. The part that wanted to see them suffer in agony, not allowed to die until they paid for what they did, until they hurt as much as he did. It still lurked inside him, but could no longer poison him as it once could have. Harry held Will tighter and leaned back into Hannibal before opening his mouth to speak. Asking who the man was that knew his parents and what he wanted, he had fallen to the wayside in the fallout of his outburst.    
  
“His name is Severus Snape, he knows that Will and I are Ravenstag, and as far as he knows we adopted you, but you were raised in an orphanage, not by your aunt and uncle. What you decide to tell him is your choice, if indeed you choose to meet him, you may tell him as much or as little as you desire.”    
  
They held each other for a few minutes longer, before reluctantly rising, Harry needed to wash his face, they all had to eat dinner and bathe. The rest of the night was quiet, aside from Hedwig and Nagini bickering again and having to be separated. Harry didn’t know what to do, he was curious about this man, curious to know him, see what he knew about the people that could have made the foundation of his life. But he didn’t want things to change, his parents had assured him that they wouldn’t but he was still so unsure. After dinner Harry helped wash dishes, he was in charge of putting them away, as he did, he realized he hadn’t spoken a word since waking, afraid to break the spell that surrounded them.    
  
After the last dish was in its cupboard, the sink and counter dry, he didn’t know what to do, he was still tired, but the thought of going to his room alone no matter how nice it was made his chest ache. Harry looked to his parents, determined to call them that in his heart and mind as much as possible to make up for lost time, he walked up behind Hannibal, his father and hugged him tight around his legs.    
  
“Can I stay with you tonight?”    
  
Harry didn’t know what he expected but it wasn’t to be picked up like he weighed nothing, true he wasn’t very heavy or tall but Hannibal picked him up like he was no bigger than a kitten and held him close. He had missed out on too much affection in his life to be embarrassed about being held like a child and carried to bed with his parents, receiving kisses and love with gratitude and happiness. He was tucked in between them, holding their hands as they wrapped around him like the ivy wrapped around the turrets outside, just before he fell asleep he made a choice, an important one.    
  


“Tomorrow I want to tell you about the Dursleys…”


	9. Vienna Waits For You

Harry sat in the cool grotto under the house, he still feared entering the water, but liked to dip his hands and feet in because it felt nice. It had been a few days since he had told his parents everything about the Dursleys, he thought he would feel better but he didn’t. He didn’t feel closure or anything like it, Harry knew they were dead, and there was nothing he could do about anything. He wished he could speak to them, now that he had his parents on his side, just to ask them why, why had they treated him so poorly, why not just give him to an orphanage for real? 

Well, there was nothing to be done about it now, he guessed he would just have to find a way to bury it. Harry looked up at the sound of footsteps to find Hannibal walking down the stone steps with a towel clad around his hips, giving Harry a smile as he entered.    
  
“There you are, fawn, your father and I were about to become worried you’d finally learned how to get into mischief.” The playful glow in his eyes brought a smile to Harry’s face. A funny retort was ready on his tongue, but he still couldn’t bring himself to joke back just yet, so he just blushed and laughed as we continued to play with the water, letting it run over his fingers, almost not noticing as his father put his towel aside and slid into the water nude as the day he was born.    
  
Harry gasped and turned his head away, he’d heard of northern countries being very open with their bodies but he still had never seen it, he wasn’t even comfortable seeing himself naked much less somebody else. It wasn’t really that he was disgusted with bodies it was just that his was weird, all skinny in the wrong places and somehow soft also in the wrong places. He was pale in places and had freckles all over himself and his knees stuck out like doorknobs and his face looked like his skin was stretched out over his skull.    
  
His parents were nothing like that, Hannibal had s thin face sure but his looked good, it looked distinguished and handsome, his body was muscular but still soft, and he had chest hair that Harry found himself envious of. Will wasn’t handsome in the way Hannibal was, but he was still beautiful, he had facial hair but still looked clean, refined and still rural all at once, he had wonderful eyes that shifted and changed based on the time of day, not like harry’s weird green eyes that glowed out of his head and made him look like a ghost. He wondered what he would look like, he figured he looked more like his father than his mother, but the pictures hadn’t had any color to them.    
  
“Are you alright, fawn? What’s wrong? I can sense your anxiety.”    
  
“Y-yeah, it’s nothing, everything is alright.”    
  
“I can tell that it isn’t, you may tell me anything, Harry, even if it’s something uncomfortable.”    
  
“Its, just, you’re naked, and uhm, you…you’re really pretty” Harry trailed off not sure of how to explain his insecurity without sounding more like a fool. Those feelings were not eased when his new father laughed gently.    
  
“You are still a young boy, Harry, you will grow into your body and you will be very handsome, I promise, I know it sounds paltry right now but it is true. With a healthy amount of food and exercise everything will be fine.” Harry hadn’t had anyone ever comfort him on his insecurities regarding his appearance, he didn’t find the comments nearly as paltry as his father seemed to think he would, so he nodded, still keeping his eyes off of the others body just as he had before he was invited for a swim.   
  
“Oh, I can’t swim, and I don’t like water, Aunt Petunia used to hold me in cold water in the bathtub and then make me sleep on the kitchen floor, so…”    
  
“I understand, Harry, but I promise you, this water is warm, I will never let you drown, and you will always be dried off. Either way even if I did want to drown you, it wouldn’t be possible.”    
  
“Wait, what?”    
  
His father did laugh outright at that, Harry might have resented it but he never felt like he meant any harm and Harry never felt condescended to by him.    
  
“Harry, have you ever heard of the gilled deer? They are a false species of deer that can breathe underwater due to hidden gills, and are another creature that descend from legends about us. In our stag form we can breathe underwater just as well as merfolk and the fish that come from the ocean.” Harry looked to the water that reached his father’s upper torso, knowing how close it would come to overtaking him even if he stood upright in it, remembering how it felt to be so completely overpowered not only by another person but by such a powerful element as water. “Breathe, fawn. You’re safe, walk along the edge, you must learn to swim, we can start in the shallows, where you can stand with ease. Would you like to start one two legs, or four?”    
  
Giving a shaking breath Harry stood and followed his father to the shallower end of the grotto, where the water only rose to his groin. “Isn’t starting on four legs kind of cheating?” He asked as he undressed, studiously ignoring his body.    
  
“In who’s contest? Starting on four legs is how I learned to swim, once the fear of drowning flees us, and the beauty of the water gives us her display swimming with two legs becomes a far less frightening ordeal.” Hannibal raised a hand to ease Harry into the water, which came up to his ribs, he felt his heart rate rise before nodding and shifting into a stag. His hooves nearly scraped the bottom but he was in over his head in an instant, before he could even begin to panic Hannibal had guided him to where he could stand steady against the small current. “Beautifully done, fawn, let’s keep to this area of the pool for now. I will hold onto your barrel, and I want you to let your muscles and instincts guide you on how to move your legs. Once you get the hang of it I will walk alongside you and hold onto you to keep you safe while you swim to the other side of the pool. Understand?”    
  
Harry nodded, and wasn’t given time to overthink before he felt himself being lifted after a few tries with different kicks he found one that worked kind of alright for him. It wasn’t very strong but it kept him going in a straight line, and earned him a lot of praise from his father, even a scratch on his brow which felt better than he had anticipated. Soon he was swimming alongside Hannibal without him holding on, even though he could still touch if he tried, and by the end of it his father was standing in one place, beaming with pride as Harry swam to him from one end of the shallow side. Harry even got up the courage to rear up on his hind legs in the water and place his knees against Hannibal’s chest to give a shy lick on the cheek, which got him an embrace and another scratch.    
  
  
  
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It was later that evening at dinner that the subject of Severus was brought up, he still wanted to meet Harry, but whether or not he did was entirely up to the boy himself, he would be meeting him sooner or later anyways because he was a teacher at the school that Harry had been accepted into. There were other schools sure, but none as close to home, and it was a good school, even if the Headmaster had abandoned him to a family that nearly killed him, sent his godfather to prison without trial, and god knows what else.    
  
Maybe he should go to a different school but, Harry also wanted to meet the man that had signed his fate. Or would have if his fathers hadn’t found him, or if Hedwig hadn’t kept him alive. What if they hadn’t been there? He would have died as a baby without her there to feed him. And this new man who was so close to his mother that he kept pictures of her all of a sudden wants to be a part of his life? It made Harry suspicious, and nervous, but mostly curious, he agreed to meet him, but only for a little while, he wanted to see what would happen, he had questions as well, questions that this Severus person could answer.    
  
They decided, as a family, that they would meet, in their home, for one hour, have some tea, Hannibal and Will would sit in for moral support. But if Harry wanted privacy with Severus all he had to do was send a signal across their bond, and they would discreetly leave the room, and they would not eavesdrop. Of course they wouldn’t, to do so would be rude, however they would be close by in case Harry needed them back. It was up to him if he wanted to tell Severus te truth, about living with his aunt and uncle. If Harry became uncomfortable the conversation would be politely redirected until Severus was to leave, but they didn’t think it would come to that. 

Harry had yet to become used to his instincts or learn to trust them. Hannibal and Will knew the meeting would be awkward but eventually all would end well, and Harry could feel it in his bones as well. But he was still overly cautious, trusting more in his fear, he was still a fawn, and he had a difficult past which had taught him to obey his fear, he would learn as he grew that his instincts were to be trusted with his future. A few more days were given before the big meeting, to let Harry’s anxiety rise, crest, and fall to a flat line of general nervousness that could be eased by tea.    
  
When the day came Harry wasn’t ready, his parents insisted he was and that everything was okay but he still felt nervous. Will went out to the wards to greet Severus and invite him in so that he didn’t get vaporised upon entry while he and Hannibal put the finishing touches on the tea they were having. Complete with the biscuits that Dad called cookies for some odd reason, and the tiny sandwiches that Harry had seen in one of the etiquettes books father insisted he read along with his other studying material.    
  
Harry could hear his Dad walking back, with another unfamiliar set of footsteps slightly behind him. He grabbed onto his Father’s hand and held it tight, the kiss on the top of the head he got in return only eased some of his anxiety. As he saw Dad walking around the corner with a strange man that could only be the Severus person that was apparently so close to his...Lily? Harry still didn’t know what to call them in his mind, referring to them as parents didn’t feel right, calling them by their names seemed too informal, and calling them his biological parents felt like he was dismissing his fathers. It was confusing.    
  
“Harry, this is Severus Snape, he was friends with your biological mother, Lily.”   
  


It was hard to resist the urge to hide behind his father, even though it was impolite to do that, especially at his age. He settled for a silent nod at the new figure, he had shoulder length black hair, that seemed in need of a wash, but otherwise looked clean, his eyes held fear, and sadness.

  
“Hello, Harry, you have your Mother’s eyes.” Severus said as he sat down beside Dad, Father pouring his tea and handing out one of everything at the table. Harry only nodded in response, it wouldn’t do to correct him when he didn’t yet know what he wanted to refer to them as, and after all, first impressions are important. “I met her when I was around your age in fact, she could make a flower bloom on a whim, I tried it once, and made it into a different plant on accident.” Though he was smiling the Severus was still sad, Harry wondered if he should be too, the woman had given him life, and given hers to save his, but...he just didn’t know her. All the questions he had planned on asking him had vanished from Harry’s mind, he held Father’s hand tighter, trying to find his tongue when he was saved.    
  
“Harry made his first attempt at transfiguration himself recently.” Father said with pride, summoning the glass case with his cup shaped leaf inside. He felt his face turn red, were they really going to show this new man his sloppy work?? Even Dad joined in, pointing out how some of the leaves cracked to show designs similar to the paint on the cups he was trying to imitate, they just looked like cracks to Harry. But the way his fathers kept going on and on, oblivious to his pain one would think he’d remade the eiffel tower out of a single brick! It was humiliating, he stared down into his cup of tea, certain it remained warm because of his face rather than the charms put on the cups by Dad, praying to the old gods he’d learned about that the subject would soon change.   
  
“Lily used to do that too, you know?”    
  
Harry raised his head up, Severus was now smiling at him.    
  
“She would turn the brightest shade of red I had ever seen when anyone praised her, become silent and all. Which was often, she was the brightest witch of our generation. I believe she had a dream to run a bookshop that ran as a front to teach other young muggleborn witches and wizards who had no opportunity to learn about magic before attending school.”    
  
He found himself smiling, curious at least, in a way that didn’t feel like he was dismissing his fathers.    
  
“Did she, was she a good teacher?”    
  
“I’m afraid she never got that chance. The war took her before she could start. However she did help me with my charms class, without her I doubt I would have been able to pass. Potions was always my specialty.” Harry smiled, he could talk about someone else now besides...them.   
  
“Dad and Father are very good at potions too, right now they’re trying to make a potion that will help my knees hurt less, they’re knobby and I keep hitting them on things.”    
  
Severus smiled, and began talking about a potion he used, often that helped his own joints as age took its toll on them. The conversation lasted a fair while before moving onto other things, though his birth parents were referenced they weren’t the main topic anymore, which made for a much less awkward meeting. After their hour was up, everyone parted ways amicably, Harry smiled and shook hands with Severus, a new friend of the family, and he was invited to dinner next weekend, where Harry decided that he should learn the truth. “There, that wasn’t so painful, was it?” His Dad asked, patting his head gently. If he ruffled the hair Father had spent so long forcing into submission Harry was sure he’d be skinned. 

  
  
  


\-------------

  
  
  
  


Severus would be arriving soon and this time Harry would be meeting him at the wards to bring him in. Until the arrival of the new family friend he was free to play in the forest so long as he was back in time for dinner. Harry ran on all fours through the woods, the wards his only limits, occasionally leaping up to catch a bird to fuel his magic and his form. Harry was always careful he never caught Hedwig though, he loved giving her rides when she perched on his back, the oils in his fur repairing the damage from her talons. Harry didn’t see her flying around today, and decided to make himself a snack out of one of the geese flying through the woods. It didn’t take him long to find a flock, he made sure Hedwig wasn’t near his planned strike zone, and kept his eyes on the air around it just in case she snuck up on him. Harry took a running leap into the air and caught his target, breaking its neck with his jaws before he even began falling downward from his jump, not noticing that he had been so intent on watching the skies that he had failed to note the ground he was meant to land on.    
  
Harry came down hard on something sharp and long that stabbed into the cleft between his cloven hooves, wrecking the rest of his landing and sending him flailing with the goose still in his mouth. It took him a moment longer to see that he had fallen slightly outside of the wards, he panicked for a moment until he saw Severus, he could be excused for exiting the wards if it meant he was bringing someone else in. Then Harry was nervous for a different reason as he watched Severus running to him, he tried to stand up to show that he wasn’t hurt but as he put his left front hoof down sharp pain shot through his leg.    
  
“Harry! Hold still, you’re alright, I need to take a look at that leg, it won’t hurt.” Severus said as he knelt down and picked up his foot at the ankle, it was a little uncomfortable and odd as he wasn’t used to touch on his hooves. Harry distracted himself be quickly eating the goose so it didn’t go to waste, knowing he would still be hungry for dinner. He soon realized it felt nothing like when his feet were touched as a human, he realized that his hoof being touched felt much less like a finger or toenail being touched and more like when his teeth were touched by the dentists Dad had brought him to. “I’m afraid you have a nail stuck in the cleft, Harry, it would require a farrier kit to remove it safely, let’s go see if your fathers have one. You’ll have to walk back as a human though to prevent further damage, it wouldn’t do well for you to end up lame over this.”    
  
Harry shifted back, looking at his hand, much like how he didn’t shift with his clothes still on he didn’t bring the nail back with him as a human. “Welcome, sir, sorry about everything.” He said bashfully.    
  
“Nonsense, you’re young, young boys hurt themselves all the time simply by existing, I have a godson, Draco, around your age. He once broke both his hands trying to dive into his bathtub as his mother had done in the swimming pool, never once did it occur to him to try and account for the differences in depth.”    
  
Harry blushed and laughed a little bit, feeling a bit better about his fumble. He braced himself a bit before starting the conversation on the walk back.    
  
“You knew my mother, as children, did you know her sister?” He asked hesitantly, keeping his eyes forward, not wanting to see the reaction of the man beside him.    
  
Severus nodded, “I know it may not do well to speak ill of the dead but yes, unfortunately I knew her.” Harry swallowed and stopped walking, looking at the ground, true he wasn’t the one who lied but he still felt as though he had. 

  
“I did too…” Severus stopped as well, saying nothing and only looking at Harry. “I wasn’t from the orphanage, I was from there, My dads saved me, I would have died without them finding me, and I would have died a lot sooner if Hedwig hadn’t fed me so much when I was a baby.”    
  
“Harry…” He reached out, trying to comfort the boy in front of him, shock evident on his face as tears filled the eyes of the boy who lived, someone so revered in their world. And apparently so wretchedly treated in a different one.   
  
“I was so hungry and so cold all the time. They did terrible things to me, and even when it was all my fault it still hurt and-”   
  
“Harry, stop now. It’s alright, you don’t have to say it if you don’t want to.” Severus tried to calm the boy as he rambled in a panic as though desperate to confess sins that weren’t his. “You didn’t deserve that, no one does. I knew you didn’t come from an orphanage, we had someone there, watching over you. We haven’t been able to find her but-”   
  
“You knew? They knew?” Harry’s voice went cold, his body freezing. “Someone was watching the whole time, nobody ever. Why didn’t anyone help me? I would have starved as a baby if Hedwig didn’t bring me rats!” His magic lashed out, scarring trees and shaking the ground beneath them. “I barely survived off of vermin while someone watched?! I slept in pools of my own blood and waste and waited to die when someone could have helped me?!” He started to tremble, he felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him but he didn’t open his eyes.    
  
_ Be still fawn, your anger is justified but it is misplaced. Severus did not know, but he knows who did. He did not know, if he had he would have stopped at nothing to save you.  _ Harry felt his anger cool, and yet the sting and bitterness remained, he couldn’t believe someone had just watched as he lived the way he had. Maybe Harry had been right the first time, maybe he had somehow deserved it after all.  _ It will be alright, love. We can make it so, we will find the one who knew, we need Severus to do that, sleep for now, fawn, we will wake you for dinner.  _ _   
_ _   
_ _   
_ _   
_ \---------------------------   
  
  


Hannibal poured them all a pre meal glass of brandy as they discussed what happened in the woods. Severus was sitting on the same chair he had when they had had tea, he and Will shared the couch, with Harry’s head in Will’s lap, somewhat awake but exhaustion had left him sedated after his outburst. Something would have to be done, his emotions were justified but he had to learn control before he exposed himself or hurt someone.    
  
Will pet Harry’s head as they all spoke about the Dursleys, keeping him grounded, and learning more about this Dumbledore character. Reading the letters Mrs. Figg had been writing to Dumbledore all these years, telling him of the abuse only to be ignored. Severus had known none of it, and why Dumbledore had ignored what had happened was beyond him, Harry just wanted this all to go away. It was painful and confusing, and he wanted it to be over and behind him. His fathers decided that they would speak to Dumbledore privately with Severus in the near future to decide what was to be done about him. 

Before anyone knew it dinner was done, Harry was still quiet throughout the meal, answering when spoken to, but still quite obviously saddened. “Harry? I have a godson around your age. It must be lonely for you, with no one your age to play with out here, would you like to meet him next time I visit?” Severus asked. Harry nodded but still was down. He pursed his lips, hopefully he and Draco would get along well enough, but the poor boy still hurt. Severus didn’t know what he could do to help. 

  
Dinner was still quiet and subdued. Severus brought up the injury Harry sustained while going out to meet him and mentioning that he had spent some time as a ferrier when he was young in his Care of Magical Creatures class. With permission from Hannibal and Will plans were made to remove the nail after dinner as well as him getting to service the rest of all their hooves for the time being depending on his skill, and as thanks a portion of the shavings from their hooves were his to use in his potions. He was quite delighted at this, since the Ravenstag were thought to be extinct the use of even one shaving was an obscene luxury, let alone a portion from three specimens!    
  
After the meal Severus got to watch as the handsome powerful creatures strode in front of him, testing out their new hooves, Harry still limping a bit, but in no danger of becoming lame. The bright shock of white along with the dappling of dark spots in opposition to the fawn of a common deer mesmerized him, more than once he had to stop himself from reaching down to stroke Harry like he was a pet. The red eyes were a little off putting against the stark white face the fawn bore, they would look fearsome, mysterious, and deadly as an adult, but evolution had granted the Ravenfawns this characteristic to ward off predators. As though any predator would dare touch a Ravenfawn, the red eyes against the white made Harry look ill and deranged, along with the scent that warned every would be predator that even as a juvenile they would have their work cut out for them. They would have to believe and then decide to tangle with a beast that was dangerous, mad, smart, and hungry.    
  
His awe was interrupted by the sense of loneliness coming from Harry, a young fawn all on his own, friends would be hard to come by with his trust issues, not to mention the typical diet of Ravenstag and their fawns. Severus would be meeting them again and a week or so, and would be bringing Draco with him, both the boys could use a friend, but Severus could only wonder and worry about how well they would or would not get along. Harry in his pain had become shy and withdrawn to those around him he didn’t have a decent connection with, Draco one the other hand… The poor boy knew to a certain extent the person his father was, the terrible things he did, and didn’t quite know how to handle them. People can be cruel in their anger, and without Lucius there to blame, to rage at some people, grieving with the losses of the war, and their children as well had turned to Draco. His response was to wear it like armor, he had been approached all his life as the spoiled Death Eater’s welp who had been given everything in life and needed to be taken down a peg. And so Draco wore his expensive robes, his pureblood status on his sleeve, if he was above them he was above their insults and the hurt and guilt they brought with them. Draco had barely known his father, only had the vaguest memory, one short Christmas, the only Christmas they had ever spent as a family together. He loved that memory, and couldn’t reconcile it with the wretched image of the man he knew was also his father.    
  
As Severus stood there, gazing at the small herd, lost in the bitter and harsh taste in his mouth of the children of war who were left to answer on both sides. One as the child saviour of their whole world on his tiny shoulders and the other left to take the blame for the horrific actions their generation had left behind. He was shaken from his thoughts by Harry, who had gently prodded his hands with his nose, Severus tilted his head in curiosity, as Harry reached behind to his side, and pulled out one of those stark white feathers, presenting it to him. Though the fawn had no idea the true worth of what he was offering he understood enough, a gift, a sign of understanding the pain they both had, Severus’s part in it, and a willingness to move forward, if not quite yet in friendship then at least on the same side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I straight up died, I have no excuse


	10. The Deep Blue Sea

Draco held his godfather’s hand as they walked towards the apparition point on the edge of their wards. He told himself that he was only holding Uncle Sev’s hand because he had too, he didn’t want to fall behind or anything. But really he loved the feel of someone holding his hand, sometimes he even let himself trip on a rock, just to be caught. His Mother loved him and was much loved, but she was a pureblood aristocrat, and though Draco never doubted that Narcissa loved him with all her heart and more than anything in this world, she was not affectionate. Occasionally when Mother had friends over who had infants she would hold them, but even then, they were simply held, there was no rocking, nor was there cuddling. Sometimes he would look at those infants and feel such envy that it choked him, but Draco knew that he could not say anything, Mother would feel terrible if she knew how he felt, and she had been through enough. 

So he held on tightly, though he didn’t for where he was being taken, yet another ridiculous playdate. With The Boy Who Lived nonetheless, Uncle Sev and Mother never realized that Draco could hear them in the drawing room and even if he couldn’t he had bribed several house elves to listen for him when he couldn’t do so personally. Hadn’t he had enough failed playdates where the other children hated him because of things his father had done before he could even walk? His first bit of magic had been when three other children tried to avenge some prat named Longbottom’s parents. It had nothing to do with him, or even his father for that matter it was his aunt Bellatrix, and she had always been mad as a hatter without the charm. As far as any other children were concerned he might as well be the new Dark Lord in training, and they had gotten a move on with giving him the requisite amount of hate. Draco prepared himself mentally and emotionally for the inevitable onslaught of abuse he would face with this ridiculous playmate, damn his parents feeling he needed socializing, he would be fine without it, and when he was he would make sure that people knew he was nothing like his father or his stupid little club. 

“Draco, honestly, it’s a playdate, I’m not going to make you dance on coals, or entertain Muggles with parlor tricks.” Came the sullen voice above. “Give this one a chance, I’ve met him and his parents, he’ll be good for you and you’ll be good for him.” 

That was all that was said on the matter, Draco had decided that if he wasn’t going to be listened to even if he hadn’t had to say anything he wouldn’t say anything at all and when he got the snot beaten out of him the it would serve Uncle Sev and Mother right. 

\-----------------

“Daaad!” Cried the long suffering voice of Harry, who finally felt comfortable enough to whine, and while Hannibal was mildly irritated by it, he was happy his son finally felt at ease. “Don’t whinge Harry, it’s impolite as well as undignified.” Was all he said before returning to the matter at hand. His son’s hair, it seemed to have a habit of growing, and growing, and growing, all over the place. “I’ve already tried everything and so did Aunt Petunia, nothing ever works, we should just keep shaving it off.” He sighed, still trying to retain Harry’s mind that no part of him was an inconvenience, simply because his hair wasn’t easy to manage doesn't mean it should simply be shaved off. “Fawn, your hair is beautiful, and so are you, all we have to do is find a way to rid yourself of bed head, and keep the mats from coming in.” Harry sighed and resigned himself to sitting in the vanity chair in the bathroom, a magical box full of hair products, no doubt numbering in the hundreds of thousands all waiting to be thrown onto his head. 

Harry would rather not have to have anyone help him with his hair, but ever since he had grown frustrated and accidentally cursed the curls straight his parents had insisted on it. To be fair, he had looked like a skinny rat who had drank a hair growth potion. Straight hair was not for him, which was a shame, because these curls were ridiculous. Harry had asked Hannibal because the man always had impeccable hair, whereas Will’s was a curly mess much of the time just as his own was, now he saw that perhaps Will knew the real secret of keeping curls at the very least manageable. Then again Will had white people curls so maybe he was just lucky enough he could afford to let them win.

A collective sigh of relief came from the both of them as Hannibal finally found an oil combination that helped his hair a scalp feel less tortured. A mixture of jojoba and monoi oils rubbed into his head and spread through the rest of his hair, finally let a comb pass through without causing him agony, and with this discovery they could put this whole event behind them. His hair looked better, more textured rather than simply a mess, it still looked kind of messy but it looked better, moisturized and healthier. 

“Come now fawn, let’s make some biscuits for you and your new friend, Will is catching us some fish for dinner, would you like rice with it?” Hannibal smiled as he watched Harry brighten up, rice in all its variations was something he was endlessly happy about. Sweet, savory, or plain, maybe he’d make them some rice balls as a snack before dinner, they wouldn’t go well with tea but they would be delicious nonetheless. 

“Can you make it that way you made it in the curry?” Harry asked excitedly. 

“I’m afraid the spices we need for curry are not yet ripe, however, I can make them similar in texture.” Hannibal offered. Harry nodded happily, always excited for food and developing a rather crippling addiction to rice. 

Hannibal went off to the kitchen to get the rest of the food ready, while Harry went outside, he was meant to bring Severus and his godson inside, though he was strictly forbidden from showing off, whatever that meant. Still, he was a growing boy and he was a bit hungry, he looked around for something small to tide him over until tea, he shifted into his fawn form and scented the air, hunting was easy now with this nose, it was brilliant. 

It wasn’t long before Harry caught the scent of some quail, they looked plump too once he found their hiding spot. He crept up silently and with no effort on his part launched forward and severed its head with one quick snip of his teeth, in a few moments the quail was gone, head and all, the only evidence of any sort of violence was some blood and a few stray feathers. Satisfied with his snack, Harry trotted to the edge of the wards, where he could see the apparition point and began licking the blood from himself, as much as he could at least. How his fathers managed to lick themselves clean on blood by themselves with no mirror was a mystery to him, but nonetheless he did what he could to make himself presentable before the guests arrived. 

Harry had never had a friend before, aside from his fathers, but, this would be a friend his own age, that he could play with, or...read with, maybe? He really didn’t know what friends did, and was still pondering out he would best entertain his guests when they arrived. 

He happily leapt up and cantered over as they walked through the wards, happy to see Severus again, and curious about the new boy behind him. Harry was grateful he was on his fawn form, he was always rubbish at hiding when he blushed at someone he was sure he would have fancied if given the chance. It had earned him more than a few beatings from the Dursleys, more “unnatural” behavior, he guessed. Harry pushed those thoughts away as he looked at the boy, who had a nervous expression on his face, he had pale hair, pale eyes and somehow, even paler skin than Severus. Harry could nearly see the veins pumping underneath, and for a moment wondered if the rest of his skin was translucent too, or just the thin skin on his face. Maybe it was some kind of skin condition, or maybe some kinds of wizards had see through skin, Harry thought it might be impolite to ask, but he still wanted to know. 

“I see your hoof is not giving you any trouble, Harry. Might I suggest a face less covered in gore to meet my godson?” Severus drawled before Harry remembered he couldn’t get all the blood off, at least he would have an excuse to be blushing now, no wonder the other boy looked nervous, probably thought Harry was about to eat him. He shifted back hastily, barely remembering to recall all his feathers. 

“Hi, sorry about that, I forgot, that other people don’t know about us. I’m Harry.” He said with a smile to the stunned blonde in front of him. 

“You’re an Animagus?! How? We don’t get to learn that until we’re seventeen!” He cried out at Harry, the nervousness being replaced with a look of envy and fascination. 

“Uhm,” Was all he could get out in response, looking to Severus for guidance, who was too busy looking rather smugly down at the boy before deciding to take mercy on them. 

“Draco, this is Harry, Harry, Draco, and no, he is not an Animagus, rather, he is a Ravenfawn. His family are the very last of the Ravenstag, wizard creatures who were thought to be extinct.” 

Draco now looked at him with an expression that mix-matched fear, curiosity, anxiety, and glee. Harry decided to smile back, with no teeth so as not to frighten the boy. They both trailed behind Severus as he walked toward his home and gently began asking one another questions, starting small, each others age, hobbies, likes and dislikes, how they liked their tea, safe subjects, but ones that would get the ball rolling for the tentative start of a friendship. Severus felt relieved that nothing violent had broken out, yet at least, they were children, and experience at Hogwarts had taught him that no matter what precautions one took, children found a way to injure themselves doing something foolish. He was a bit lost in thought thinking off the time he had caught some of the muggleborn students attempting to see if they could use a shopping cart to fly like a broom provided they utilized the astronomy tower and a weak Hovering Charm, he had given them a weeks worth of detention for every grey hair they had given him. 

The sight of Hannibal greeting him at the edge of the garden brought him out of his memories as he introduced Draco and politely sat down to take tea, eyeing his godson as he eyed the various treats, silently reminding him to remember his manners even in the face of such glorious amounts of sugar. 

“Draco, how are you finding out home so far?” Asked Hannibal, ever the courteous host, and Draco did not disappoint, having been raised to have wonderful manners all his life, commented on how lovely their home was, and how wonderful the surrounding area. Hannibal watched the two boys fidget and look around them towards the forest, he only kept them there a little while longer before showing some mercy and allowing them to run off towards the woods together leaving the two adults chuckling as they went. 

“I’m surprised Draco’s pride hasn’t had him acting like a fool today, he’s usually so desperate to prove his worth outside of the damage his father has done that he ends up acting like him.” Severus said with relief. 

“Children have a way of internalizing the world around them, and lashing it back out as well. As Harry has made no move to judge Draco for his father I doubt it will come up for the moment, we should prepare for when it does, I don’t imagine that the result will be quite so dramatic.” Hannibal said with gentle ease, standing from the table to retrieve a bottle of wine now that the children were gone. Severus sighed, finally able to relax after a long several weeks. 

“I spoke to Albus, he doesn’t know where you are, or where Harry is. He is aware that I know where he is. As well trained as I am at Occlumency, he is a very powerful Legilliemns. I’ve been lax in my practice of it since the Dark Lord’s supposed demise.” 

“Ravenstag are natural telepaths, only to those we allow in, as Will has done to you. However, that is only when we reach maturity, Harry will be quite vulnerable to it until then.” 

The two men considered the possibilities of the future, drinking wine, checking the food in the kitchen, cleaning the fish Will brought in before he went to shower. All was well in the house, and across their mutual bonds everything was peaceful, it seemed Harry was quite enjoying his new friend. 

In the forest Draco followed Harry around as he was shown the boys favorite spots. He was curious about the boy in front of him, who seemed to harbor no resentment towards him, maybe he didn’t know the damage his father had done to the world, and his family directly. Draco wanted to stay friends with Harry but when he found out he would leave Draco anyways, maybe he should just rip the bandaid off. Maybe he should savor what he could before it all fell apart. 

“Have you ever seen a baby badger?” Harry’s voice cut through his contemplation.

“No, why? Have you found some?” 

“No, but I know where some are, not too far from here.” 

“Alright, but I don’t want to get my robes dirty.”

Harry smiled and Draco found himself smiling gently back, following the boy as he trotted forward, knowing the woods as well as he knew his own gardens back at the manor. Though hopefully these woods weren’t filled with the evil peacocks that were left to roam in the gardens. Draco had seen Harry covered in blood in his other form, maybe he could be convinced to eat the hateful creatures. 

Both boys smiled a bit at each other as they walked close to a small ledge, looking down at a den, waiting patiently for a badger to come out with her cubs and forage for earthworms. 

\-----

Will came in from the water, his catch in a bucket, five Perch fish lay in the small amount of water, best to keep them alive until Hannibal got his hands on them. Harry may soon get sick of Perch but they were non-native inhabitants and were absolutely wreaking havoc on the local ecosystem. Hannibal may be fine eating endangered animals, but Will preferred if he knew he would still be able to taste them for a while yet in his now, much longer life. Severus and Draco had already arrived, he would be meeting them and ensuring they were clean before bringing the entire outside in with them, the dogs did enough of that, even with Hannibal only letting them enter certain areas of the house. 

He walked in to find Hannibal and Severus taking some tea, he left his catch on the counter and went to clean up before relieving Hannibal of his hosting duties and talking to their guest. Somehow it wasn’t even a daunting task, he remembered a time where he would’ve pretended to have been swept away by the river before willingly entertaining a guest. Hell, even having a dinner get together. Maybe later he would call it a dinner party in front of Hannibal just to annoy him, no way in hell was two guests a dinner party in his mind. 

After his quick just a soap and rinse shower he walked down in the nice suit Hannibal got him Will took a moment on the stairs, listening to the two talk. He was so happy, he felt Hannibal and Harry were too, life was perfect, but life isn’t perfect. Was Hannibal really happy? He gave up so much, to make WIll happy after all. No more city living, he wasn’t walking distance from the theatre or having his massive five course dinner parties anymore. Will hadn’t really given up much of anything, he still had all his dogs, his isolation, fishing, writing papers still even. All he’d done was leave the FBI behind, and that was something he didn’t even like all that much, he was staying there because he felt he owed it. He didn’t deserve to be happy because of his gifts, and the FBI was a suitable punishment that also helped people. It was best for him to leave, but he didn’t know if Hannibal was truly happy to be living like this. 

Maybe it was good, Harry having a friend, he trusted Severus. Maybe Harry could stay with them for a weekend, and Will would take Hannibal out on the town, he didn’t know what town but, he could take them to a theatre. Shopping in one of those hideous stores that were massive and that threw you out for wearing the same thing twice. It would be a prime hunting ground, something they hadn’t been able to do ever since they got Harry. It was a part of their diet now, and they would need a weekend away, and soon Harry would have to learn the difference between friends, and food, besides, he was still a bit too young to go to the theatre. 

With a peck on the cheek he took over for Hannibal, and began to talk to Severus about taking Harry for the next weekend, the shorter the notice, the less time Hannibal had to figure everything out and ruin the surprise for himself. 

After bidding farewell to Severus, carrying a sleeping Draco, and sending Harry to bed, Will brought up his idea of sending Harry to spend a weekend with his new friend. Of course it all hinged on what Harry wanted to do, and he would have to keep his Ravenfawn form a secret, something he’d never had to do before. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of but it wasn’t something that should be made well known yet or even at all. At best he’d be hounded all his life over it on top of being hounded for being the boy who lived, at worst they would be hunted again, just as Hannibal’s family had when he was a boy. If Harry agreed then it would be settled, a few days of making sure Harry knew how to act when they weren’t around, what he could and couldn’t tell people for his own safety, and how to set appropriate boundaries whenever he needed or wanted to and he was ready. 

\-----------

When his parents had mentioned having him stay a weekend at Draco’s home Harry was worried a bit, he’d yet to be truly alone without them, and there was that tiny voice in his mind that they were trying to leave him there. Even knowing that would never happen the little voice wouldn’t go away, no matter what he did. Maybe when he was older it would, but he wasn’t sure. 

Harry was excited as well though, he liked Draco, and Draco seemed to like him too. He was excited to see another wizarding home, he’d only ever seen his own and the alley where he had gotten some wonderful books. But that was a street it didn’t count. He sat in his room with an overnight bag his father had helped him pack. It had his toothbrush, toothpaste, hair oils. It had several sets of clothes, even swimwear. Harry was rather nervous to be thinking of swimming with anyone other than his father around but maybe for Draco or Severus it would be okay. His dads probably wouldn’t let him swim with people would try to drown him, or let him drown on his own either. 

Harry was also starting to feel ill. He figured it would go away on its own, it wasn’t something that made him feel actively sick, but that it maybe would in the future. It was like he needed something, he didn’t quite know what. Oh well, if it didn’t go away on its own he would figure out something himself anyways, he wouldn’t become a burden on his new fathers. 

\----------------

As Hannibal and Will dropped Harry off at Malfoy Manor they found it surprisingly difficult. They nearly called off their special weekend altogether but Harry was simply too young to bring on a hunt. And they were due for some much needed alone time. They’d spent the first night at thier home, packing, making love, letting Hannibal use his magic to tailor him a suit for the opera Will had surprised Hannibal with tickets to. The opera itself had been beautiful, surrounded by the high class snobs Will hated, and Hannibal loved for his menu. 

Hannibal was thinking of all the ways they would use the high class pigs in meals, Will was only thinking of how much better the hunt would be with Harry. They hadn’t even needed to get a hotel room, simply grab the man and apparate back to what had formerly been the servant quarters hundreds of years ago. It was beautiful, it was fun! They let their prey run through what little of the castle it could reach before the kill, destroying their new suits, covering each other in blood, imagining how the world would react to the corpse of the man in front of them. 

The Chesapeake Ripper had gone the way of Il Mostro. There would be no display, there would be very little left when they were done, they had a family, and a fawn to feed after all, and lost time to make up for. Human flesh was a much needed part of their diet after all, and so they took everything. Every scrap of usable meat, the intestines, many of the organs that Hannibal would weave into wonderful dishes, the bones that would make wonderful broth were taken. Will even insisted on taking a few to carve into a knife for precious Harry when the time was right. 

They were busy processing what they had decided to take as useful and store it. They’d already dumped the unusable parts of the body off in France where the smell would hardly be noticed. It wasn’t even the end of the second night without Harry. Will was staring down at the thick plastic vacuum bags that would keep their meat fresh the longest and realized he was lonely. He was painfully, unbearably lonely. No, not lonely, Hannibal was right there, the love of his life, the man who’d given him everything he’d never even dreamed of and so much more. Empty maybe. No, not that, again, Hannibal was there, this was enough, it had to be enough. 

Right?

It was all as much as he’d dreamed of when he ran away with him, before he’d even met Harry. It made his world so full of such wonderful things! 

But the world was so much bigger now… Will thought about what was upstairs waiting for them, a big beautiful, clean house. It was so quiet, and still, and peaceful, and empty. 

“Will, I can hear you thinking so loudly that I can smell it. Don’t retreat from me, love, tell me what’s wrong.” Hannibal had set aside his meat and his tools, giving Will his undivided attention, Will realised as he looked up from his own still hands. How long had they been still? He set down his bag that he had been placing a lovely section of shoulder meat into. 

What was he going to say? Hannibal wasn’t enough for him? It wasn’t true! It couldn’t be! Will felt the agitation and anxiety flood up to his face and settle into a wretched buzz inside his teeth he couldn’t be rid of no matter how hard he ground them down. Will felt his hands shaking as frustrated tears welled in his eyes. Why couldn’t he just be happy!? 

“It’s, I’m…” What was wrong with him? He had everything now, he had Hannibal, he had Harry, he had such a full wonderful life...why did it suddenly feel so hollow, why did he dread going upstairs?! Will felt the tears fall down his face, knowing he must be frightening his husband half to death. 

“Just talk, Will, let your mouth move, don’t think about what to say, or how it might make me, yourself, or anyone else feel. We can fix this, I promise.” That was all the permission Will needed to open his mouth and let the jittery words run away from him. 

“It’s hollow! It’s wrong and empty now! Harry’s not here, and the house is just quiet and clean and I hate it...I…” Will took a deep breath, “I don’t want to go upstairs and not hear him or see him...I love you so much, how is this not enough?! I...I, it’s so selfish, it’s hardly been two days and I can’t have him gone anymore!” Will let himself feel foolish as he closed his mouth, realizing he just spewed forth something so needy and childish. 

Hannibal stroked his thumb down his chin, letting the blood smear as Will opened his eyes and looked into his husbands. “I promise you’re enough for me, I promise that I love you...but this just feels so wrong without Harry. He’s our family, he’s our kid, and this house feels haunted without him.” 

Will let Hannibal hold his hand and warm him up as he waited. What could Hannibal even say to that, Harry wasn’t their possession, they couldn’t very well just keep him there. And what about when he went off for school? Let alone when he grew up and formed a herd of his own and they only saw him once in a great while. How could Will cope with that if he couldn’t even handle this. Will knew it, and Hannibal knew it. Will waited for the harsh reality of judgement to flare from across their shared bond, only to feel gentle warmth from it too, and even a bit of something else, delight? 

“Finding the empty nest lonely so soon, my love?” Was certainly not what Will was expecting to be met with. Will was about ready to throw Hannibal himself up on the chopping block for mocking his misery when he was met with a kiss and a surprising pinch on the rear. “I’m sure Harry would be quite happy for a younger sibling.” 

Will stood stunned as Hannibal went back to work as though Will had merely been distracted. “I told you, Will, you shall want for nothing. I must confess, I am actually quite glad of this, we’ll have many years together, no reason not to have as large a brood as you desire.” He felt the knot in his stomach loosen, but not vanish as Hannibal kept talking. “You’ll remember I was a psychiatrist, my dear, this is beyond common. I know, we are enough for one another, we fill one another’s hearts, and now that space has grown to be filled by family and children as well. We’ll have to talk to Harry first, and see if he is feeling secure enough to share us, there is much to do before we prepare for one of us to carry a child.”

\------------

If only such a happy moment had just come to pass at the Malfoy residence. 

Harry had begun feeling off just after the second day of his visit, and it didn’t help he hadn’t exactly been feeling great before he left. Everything was different at Draco’s house, dark despite the light woods, cold despite the many fireplaces. Harry was ever so grateful that they had a muggle heating system at his house, it was far more efficient than fireplaces. The off feeling grew and grew, he tried reaching into the bond to feel his parents. Will wasn’t feeling good either, and Hannibal just had a weird feeling like he was waiting for something, and even he was feeling a little scared. 

He quickly pulled away before he could pry too far and get in trouble. True they had told him that the bond was all of theirs but it still felt so private. Harry tried to ignore the off feeling, he wasn’t a little kid! He could handle a weekend away from home, Hannibal and Will would be back soon and they would bring him home! The feeling grew and grew until he was definitely in a sour mood, he finally just snuck away from Draco and went out into the back garden, taking care to stay away from the peacocks. 

Draco probably wouldn’t like it if Harry lost his temper and ate one of the birds. He kicked a stone down the path as he went, glaring at all the pretty flowers. This worked for a minute until the kicking just felt like nothing to Harry and that made him even angrier! He lifted his leg up and brought it down hard on the stone, again and again determined to stomp it into dust but no matter how hard he brought his foot down the stone just hurt his foot. 

Harry bit his lips to keep them from shaking. He was not about to start crying for no reason at his friends house! Just because he wanted to go home. He wasn’t a baby! One more sleep and a lunch and he would go home and it would all be fine! Even Dudley had done this all the time, he’d done it at Mrs. Figg’s house and it had never been this hard. It was so stupid to cry like this...to throw a tantrum like a baby just because his fathers weren’t there…

Before he knew it Harry was just sitting down in the middle of the path crying his eyes out as quietly as he possibly could, unaware that Severus had long since been following him and had witnessed his little fit. He was made aware when the man knelt down beside him and began awkwardly patting him on the back, he’d seen this is plenty of his students before, but it made it no less unsure even if he knew what to do. He cleared his throat a bit. 

“There now, Harry, it’s quite alright to be homesick. Especially when it’s your first real home, more than natural even.” Severus started, hoping he was doing alright. No matter what he did in these situations, and no matter how often he was in them he never felt like he ever got any better at navigating them. When Harry didn’t respond aside from a few wheezing gasps and mumbled bits of broken speech he tugged the boy into his lap and simply started talking about the thing that tied them together, Lily. 

“I grew up with your mother, Harry. I knew she was a witch before she even did, as a matter of fact she was quite cross with me when I called her a witch. She only knew the muggle insult of it. We used to make flowers float up to each other all across town, carrying messages and notes. Her favorite game was to swing up as high as she could on a swing set and then jump off only to float and gently levitate down. She truly was the brightest witch of out age.” 

Severus continued to talk, spouting random facts about Lily, and even James, hoping that the information would help them feel more real to Harry until he calmed down enough to simply sit there. Possibly even listening. Severus understood how the boy felt, remembering how he himself felt about Minerva when he was Harry’s age, he’d loved his mother so, and yet...Minerva had given him what he needed as a child whereas she hadn’t. He might not get another chance to tell the boy or the courage gathered up where he needed it.

“She would have been so delighted, to see you so happy with Will and Hannibal.” Finally that got a response as Harry looked up at him wide eyed. “James as well. They gave their lives for yours, so you could live, not so you could carry their deaths around with you forever.” Feeling bold Severus used his sleeves to wipe Harry’s eyes and nose. “You love Hannibal and Will, they’re your parents. Lily and James gave you life, and theirs in exchange, but giving life does not make a parent. Had they been given the chance, they would have made you wonderful parents, but they didn’t. It’s alright to feel for them, even without knowing them, or even not feeling for them because you didn’t.” Severus wrapped an arm around Harry’s thin little shoulders and rubbed up and down the boy’s back. “Life is for the alive, Harry.” 

Harry felt himself loosen a bit, tired from everything. He didn’t understand much of what Severus was saying but he understood enough...and it helped a bit. Maybe it would make sense in the morning, he finally managed to coherently say he wanted to go to sleep. He didn’t pay much attention on the way back but before he knew it he was asleep, and that much closer to going home. Maybe it would be better if Draco stayed with him at his house next time. He ignored the voices outside, not wanting to hear about Draco wondering what he’d done to make Harry upset. He’d need to apologize to him later, and make sure Draco knew it wasn’t his fault. 

Maybe not as much later as he thought though. Harry pretended he was asleep as Draco snuck into the room as soon as Severus had turned his back and snuck into the bed with Harry. Draco gave him a few prods in the ribs that he ignored, partially because he didn’t want to talk, and also, well. He wanted to see what would happen. After he failed to wake up, Draco didn’t talk, but nor did he leave, instead he simply settled down, and got a bit closer to Harry. 

It wasn’t long after both boys were asleep, after they woke up neither spoke about it. They both just looked at one another, too shy to say anything, but both still secretly just a bit happy to wake up to someone else happy to see them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's another chapter. It's been a while and while I'd love to tell you that I'll be updating regularly again I can't, I love writing my stories, but most of the time it's all I can do to wake up in the mornings. I'm glad you all like this, and I hope I can give my stories their happy endings


	11. Can You See?

By the time Harry was back at his house for dinner he was feeling downright ill. His father insisted that he just needed to eat something his new body needed and he would be fine, but Harry wasn’t so sure. He felt dizzy and weak, and couldn’t tell if he was hungry or nauseous, he also wasn't sure if he wanted to take a chance on hunger either. None of the fish in the river or the animals outside smelled as good to him anymore, and he couldn’t shake the queasy feeling he had.    
  
Harry luxuriated in Will holding him and petting his hair while Hannibal cooked, he had missed them too much and felt too sick to have the pride to maintain the distance he was pretending he wanted. Whatever it was did smell wonderful, maybe Hannibal was right. Harry’s pondering was cut off by Will.   
  
“Harry? Are you feeling any better now? Still queasy, feverish, at all?” Harry took a moment to be happy that Will was cuddled up so close to him he could feel the warm breathe in his hair as he was spoken to,    
  
“A bit, the food smells good but I still don’t feel very well.” Maybe he was better than he was letting on in his tone, but could he really be blamed in the face of such wonderful peace? Sure enough he was rewarded by a squeeze and some firm rubs up and down his back.    
  
“Poor boy, sickness isn’t any fun at all.” Will said as he picked Harry up and began carrying him around to the lower levels of the house where Hannibal was cooking. It seemed a little odd at first for him to be cooking there instead of the kitchen. But the lower levels had a slow roaster, which would help make the thigh roast tender, and a stone oven, which was better for bread than the regular oven they had upstairs.    
  
Plus down here Harry would smell the blood from the former crime scene. That would wake up what was inside him, make him more alert and begin feeling better. Once he ate the meat essential to his new diet, then they would explain what the meat was, and why he needed it. It would be a hard conversation, most likely, but it was important. He would need this information for the rest of his life. Sure enough Harry was becoming more active the closer they got to the wonderful smell of dinner.    
  
“Better already?”    
  
“Yeah, it smells really great.” Moving more in his arms, looking around. Already looking for his prey, Will was so proud. By the look on Hannibal’s face he was too. Will set Harry down on the smaller, less grand dining room table they had set up and continued to wait for Hannibal to finish with his fanciful display. Teaching Harry not to play with his food was going to be difficult with him watching all this.    
  
Will thought he’d be having a meal with a child in his lap when they had a baby, but Harry deserved to make up for lost time. He’d coddle and love on him as much as Harry would allow for as long as he would allow. Will pressed a kiss to his hair and gave him a squeeze as Hannibal plated them up and sat down, smiling and watching with find adoration as Harry tucked in. The food, complete with the meat he needed to survive finally easing his fever and illness completely.    
  
“Eat more slowly Harry, you’ll choke.” Said WIll, before Hannibal could remind him of his manners. The poor boy knew his manners, he was just hungry. “Harry, keep eating, but I need you to listen to us while you do. Do you remember, when I was teaching you how to make the dogs’ food, how they needed certain food in their diet to be healthy?” Harry nodded, listening but still for the most part focussed on his meal. “We are the same way, both as humans and as Ravenstag. You were ill because you weren’t eating a certain meat that is necessary for your body, do you understand?”    
  
Harry stopped eating, and looked up at his fathers, noting the slight tension in the air, but still saying nothing, keeping his own cards close to his chest. “We know about your hunting habits, both as a fawn and before you changed, my love.” Hannibal assured him with a gentle smile, making sure to convey that he wasn't in any trouble. “Harry, you know what I did to the Dursleys, I did to protect you. But finding them was not an accident. I went to the neighborhood to hunt, and was planning on them to be my targets, before I found you.” Hannibal let that sink in on the stunned boy for a moment before continuing. “You are old enough to understand what you are eating, and what you must eat to survive. You are old enough to understand that there are people like your aunt and uncle in this world, plenty of them.”    
  
“Some people are just pigs, Harry, and they deserve to be somebody’s bacon.” Will cut in. “You saw how sick you got without your proper diet, this is something you need. We won’t make you do anything you’re not comfortable with, but this is something you need and deserve to know about yourself.” Will let his shields down, letting himself feel his son, shock, that was understandable, relief, curiosity, but not fear. They could work with that, this was fine. “Harry, we love you, and will do everything to make you happy, safe, and healthy. If you need some time to adjust that will be alright, or if you have any questions we will answer you.”    
  
Harry looked between both of them, then at the meat on his plate, finally he asked a question in a quiet voice. “Draco?”    
  
“No love, he is your friend, there is a vast difference between friend and food. Severus and Draco are our friends, and they are safe.” Hannibal replied, ever calm. Harry nodded and looked down again, wanting to ask something, but still unsure.    
  
“How...who are we to say who gets to die?”    
  
“We are Ravenstag, my fawn, in your travels in the nature around our home you have seen the wolves, fox, and other predators. They do not mindlessly eviscerate every animal they come across simply because they have the might to, you have watched them interact alongside deer, foxes, rabbits, and other animals without hunting them. But when they are hungry, they still hunt. When the fox hears the rabbit scream he comes running, but not to help. You are friends with Will’s dogs, and yet you have thought of eating the wolves.”    
  
Harry hadn’t thought of it like that, he had forgotten that Draco would die long before he ever would. If he ever even did. Severus too. Harry would spend his whole life watching his friends die around him, his fathers had done so for longer than he had been alive too probably, this is easy for them now. He put his fork down. Would it be easy for him too? He opened his mouth at last.    
  
“I...when I cooked for my aunt Petunia, I thought about poisoning her. A lot. But I was always too scared.” He always hated himself for days afterwards when he had let the thought slide, every harsh word, pang of hunger and broken bone mocking him that much more. “I didn’t think about right or wrong, or, if I was a monster even, I just.” Harry stopped, unable to put a name to the churning inside his heart and mind.    
  
“Doing bad things to bad people feels good.” Harry looked up at his dad, smiling behind the scruff that was growing ever closer to a beard. “You aren’t a monster, not for thinking that and not if you decided to poison them after all. You know what I did in America, I can professionally verify that you are not a monster, not then, and not now. Hedwig is not a monster when she kills mice for you both to eat, and you are not a monster for killing humans who made themselves into monsters to eat.”    
  
When it was put like that Harry couldn’t help but understand, even if some small part of him still felt bad. Not anywhere near as bad as what he felt he should be feeling but still. Part of him even wanted to see the hunts his fathers took, he just...wanted to see what would happen. He made his feelings clear, and his parents said that while he was a bit too young to hunt safely, they would begin to teach him how. Harry smiled at the pride he felt swelling through to bond from his parents, excited for this new aspect of his life to begin.    
  
  
\--------------   
  
  
Any excitement Harry had thought he would feel was burned to ashes half a day in. He changed his mind, this was boring. It sucked! He thought he would be out in the woods with his parents learning how to hunt the people that made other people's lives a living hell! He wasn’t even outside! He was stuck inside pouring over the world's most boring paperwork and case files so he could learn how Muggles caught killers and how to find one himself or how not to get caught depending on how one looked at it. It wasn’t like Harry couldn’t just  _ Obliviate  _ anyone who caught him, and he didn’t want to hunt killers for himself when he was grown up if it was this boring, his dad didn’t even find these ones to eat he just did it to do it! 

Harry wanted to go outside, and hunt one of the horrid people Will was lecturing him about, he liked reading books and studying magic would never get old but this was case files! The only way to make the most gruesome of murders boring was with paperwork, and he hated it. There had to be a less tedious and stupid way to hunt humans, and Harry never thought that would be the issue he would be having with hunting humans but shit happens. Thankfully Will had the sense to only torture the poor boy for a short while longer before letting him outside to play for a while, in response to which Harry sprinted for his freedom.

Will watched his son go with fondness and a bit of self righteous success, the only way to acclimatize Harry to what was once murder without traumatizing him was to make it as boring as possible. It by no means meant Harry was ready to take the matter into his own jaws but it was a big step in the right direction.    
  
As the weeks went by Will taught Harry how not to get caught, Hannibal taught Harry the more practical side of hunting. Soon while he was ready for the hunt, both Hannibal and Will agreed that he was still just a bit too young to hunt. On his next birthday they would be taking him hunting as a gift, they would also be giving him extra lessons on how to politely interact with the centaurs in the forest. It wouldn’t do to piss them off by hunting in their territory.    
  
On his tenth birthday, in just two months time, Will and Hannibal would take him on a hunt. 

And their son would be spectacular. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chappie before things really start to pick up!


	12. The Worms Crawl In, The Worms Crawl Out

As Severus sat with his tea while his godson and Harry played in the back garden. It was distinctly amusing to see Draco riding on the back of a mottled black and white Ravenfawn, though he wasn’t sure Harry’s parents appreciated the image of them both running away from a swarm of bees while screaming and bleating. It truly was most undignified of them, Hannibal seemed to agree, meanwhile Will was kneeling on the veranda laughing.    
  
“Help us! Uncle Sev!” Howled Draco as Harry bleated while running in circles.    
  
“I warned you to leave their hive alone four times Draco, you must live with the consequences.” Severus said, flicking his wand now and then to keep the bees just far enough away that the boys weren’t actually harmed but still learned their lesson. Which didn’t escape Hannibal’s notice, not that anything ever did. The boys taken care of they returned to the discussion at hand. “Albus still has no idea of your location, however he knows I know where Harry is, as I am not actively looking for him.”    
  
“Has he attempted legilimency?” Hannibal asked, sipping his own tea and ignoring his husband who still had yet to pull himself together.    
  
“He did indeed, and as usual failed, he truly thought he could break through my walls and get inside my mind without my noticing. As if I was a spy for nothing. He even laced his foul little lemon drops to try and get at me.” Severus couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that.    
  
“Any more Horcruxes?” Will asked, finally in a state to do so.    
  
“One in Hogwarts, one in the Black Vaults, and one in the personal library of Draco’s father. I can get to the second one easily enough by replacing it with a replica. The first however is located within the Come and Go Room, which is filled from floor to roof of every single lost, misplaced, or left behind item that Hogwarts has hoarded since its inception.” Hannibal nodded, taking it in stride while Will rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the children, determining that they had had enough and confounded the bees. The two children ran up to the porch, both of them on two legs looking furious and embarrassed while Will spoke to them.    
  
“Next time, leave the bees alone, they work hard for their honey, you two are not beekeepers, we have honey right here, and we told you to not mess with them.” He said, in a tone that bartered no argument, despite his finding the situation amusing. “Now go into the library and get the rest of your work done, you’ve fooled around long enough.” Both boys groaned and dragged their feet as they went, but at least they went and could be trusted not to make a mess of things while they learned. Will waited until they were out of earshot before he continued. “You can take Nagini to the school next time you go, she managed to hunt Harry down by sensing the Horcrux in him, she should be able to find it or at least narrow down the area you have to search.”   
  
It was better than flailing about blindly, no doubt as Dumbledore had planned for Harry to do, all the while using him as bait for the Dark Lord. Nevermind on that, they had to focus on what they would do next, not for what futures may have passed otherwise. Severus sipped his tea while he listened to Hannibal.    
  
“That still leaves the issue of what remains in the Black Vaults, I assume you cannot persuade Narcissa to simply take it out for us then?”    
  
“Sadly no, it was placed in the heirloom vault of Bellatrix Black, now Lestrange. Meaning only her, or the Head of house Black can access it, who is also rotting away in Azkaban as he was framed for the betrayal of the Potters as their Secret Keeper.” That caused Hannibal to raise a brow.    
  
“Framed? You are certain he is innocent, then?”    
  
“Of betraying the Potters, certainly, he worshipped the ground they walked upon. He was also never at any Death Eater meetings, whereas Peter Pettigrew was, where he bragged about being their secret keeper. And betrayed them.” Severus looked down into his tea, like he had in the one Divination class he had bothered attending. While Black deserved a lot for the things he had done and never answered for...Azkaban for the betrayal of his friends was not one of them. Even the Wolf had not visited him in all the time the man had spent in a cell on the miserable island. Despite everything that had happened, everything that the Marauders had done to him, part of him still twinged at leaving Black in Azkaban to rot, but clearing his name now meant his position as a spy would be compromised. For now the remaining Death Eaters believed he had Dumbledore fooled, but if he freed Black seemingly out of the goodness of his heart there would be questions he could not answer.    
  
“Also as he is Harry’s godfather it should be his choice as to what should happen with him, but nonetheless, it would be nothing to insist he be given the trial he had never received when it was due. After that however, he would be the one who could legally contest our custody of him.”    
  
“I wouldn’t worry about that for a while.” Will cut in. “After Azkaban he’ll have to be in care for a good long while before he’ll be considered fit to even attempt custody of Harry.” The unspoken consequences of that were left to permeate the room before Hannibal spoke up again.    
  
“We shall have to schedule a meeting with Mr. Black as soon as possible, and discuss our terms of agreement. What is best for Harry always comes first.”    
  
Nodding with one another it was planned that Severus would take Nagini back with him to Hogwarts after saying goodbye to Draco for the night. Tomorrow evening he would hopefully return with both Nagini and the Horcrux and drop them off before he picked up Draco and by then Hannibal and Will would know more about the situation regarding Sirius Black. They would be sending an owl before dinner, as Hedwig was far too prim to send letters for anyone other than Harry(which Will found charming and Hannibal found rude.) She also refused to fly away for any long period of time unless she had seen Harry eat first, and it had to be sent out before dinner or it would not get back in time for Severus’s return.   
  
So one of the small Pygmy owls was called down and given the letter to the ministry to request the visit to Sirius Black on behalf of the Most Ancient and Most Noble House of Lecter, as requested personally by Count Hannibal Lecter VIII. It would cause a lot of gossip among the Pureblood circles, the long silent Lecter line coming back into the fold by requesting a meeting with the disgraced Sirius Black? Not that Hannibal minded, he had always loved being the center of attention, and now Will was right there beside him rolling his eyes and picking at the new dress robes he would be wearing for their debut at the Ministry to be apparated to Azkaban.    
  
One thing the Ministry did right was make sure only a few individuals knew where Azkaban was, preventing a breakout from being orchestrated. They could do some things right if properly motivated. Which left no excuse for the rest of their abysmal handling of other matters. Honestly, a high profile case such as the one with Sirius Black and not even a trial was given? Even if he wasn’t innocent, this was still an absolute outrage. Honestly, it was all well and good he had as long of a life as he did, the entire Magical English legal system needed to be revamped. After Harry was well and raised with a herd of his own of course.    
  
  
  
\--------------   
  
  
The next morning came with both boys tripping over each other in a race to get to the blueberry muffins which Hannibal held over his head until they acted like they had at least a vague understanding of what manners were. Once they had that settled and everyone was sat down for breakfast their owl returned from it’s little visit to the Ministry.    
  
Only to find it had been denied.    
  
Not because the prisoner in question had rejected their visit but because he was not allowed visitors of any kind under any circumstances, by order of the Chief Warlock, Albus Dumbledore.    
  
Which was blatantly illegal even by the incredibly loose standards of the Wizengamot.    
  
Oh they had a very interesting meeting with Severus to look forward to. Especially since they would be needing a babysitter for the next day or so while they went to the ministry and twisted some arms and put pressure on a wizened old fool. Hannibal wrote a quick reply informing the ministry of the illegal actions both in refusing Sirius Black visitors as well as the fact that the man was not given any trial whatsoever and to expect them tomorrow so they could be given an explanation. With that reply the letter was sent off with Hedwig this time as she had seen Harry eat already.    
  
There would be much to explain to Severus when he came back that evening from Hogwarts.    
  
  
\----------------   
  
  


As Severus walked through the halls of Hogwarts, his outer cloak still on, making him look even more dramatic than usual he had to wonder about a few things. The first thing he had to wonder was whether or not Nagini could still be seen under his clothes. As Albus could see through illusions as well as if those charms were in place he had little options as far as it came to hiding her. The second thing was whether or not he was a fool.    
  
He couldn’t speak Parseltongue, how in Merlin’s beard was he ever going to get the snake to help him find the other Horcrux? It already felt beyond bizarre to have the slithering thing wrapped around himself, and now he had to walk up seven flights of stairs with it. He hated these stairs as a student, and he hated them even more as an adult. At least he wouldn’t have to deal with them or the students much longer, with all the Horcruxes destroyed and the Dark Lord truly gone he could quit his job without fear of what Dumbledore could do. There would be nothing to fear after all.    
  
At least he wasn’t stopped and bothered by any students along the way, they usually feared him like he brought a pox with him wherever he went. And to some students that would be preferable. He didn’t stop as he narrowed his eyes and bit his tongue harshly. It wasn’t as if he’d wanted to become the bitter hateful man who made first years cry, but he had an image to keep up for the children of his former cohorts. Sure he never would have been a gentle man who laughed off exploding cauldrons either but...maybe he could have been allowed to become a bit gentler about it. Potions was a dangerous subject certainly, and he needed to be strict and maintain control over the classroom, but he didn’t need to make the students shake with fear of him just by entering the classroom. Lily would have been ashamed of him.    
  
No matter, it would all be behind him sooner or later. In fact much sooner than he had anticipated. And in a way that left him alive, which was a better promise than what his previous offer had been. A lifetime of servitude teaching little fools that had neither the ability nor the desire to learn about the wonderful subtleties of potions waiting for when the Dark Lord returned? Then spending what little would remain of his life as a spy until he was inevitably killed, brutally and painfully?    
  
And no doubt being left to die in pain and alone.    
  
Severus had given in to the fact that he would die alone, with only a tormenter for comfort a long while ago. Now he had the chance of a new life, one where he may even find himself fulfilled. He had a godson, whom he loved, and a family of Ravenstags as well, even Lily’s son, who he was growing to love just as dearly. Without the Dark Lord hovering over his head he wouldn’t have anything tying him to this place any longer. It was odd, really, once this place had felt like his only home, the closest thing to one he had, and now the thought of leaving it behind him was nothing short of a godsend.    
  
He entered the Come and Go room and opened his cloak so Nagini could slither out and get some air. She slithered out and onto the floor and wandered about the many towers of dusty garbage. It was truly disgusting in here, certainly full of smells that Severus would like to never encounter again. Being a potions master he would have thought he would be used to unpleasant smells, new or old, but this room proved different. Almost two thousand years worth of things all collected in this room and left to rot had created a miasma unlike anything Severus had ever smelled before and what he hoped he would never smell again. Every single damp sheet, forgotten midnight snack, makeshift condom, or musty pile of clothes all found a home here.    
  
Severus followed the snake as she traveled further and further in, around mountains of furniture and trash until she came to a cabinet and began coiling around it. All Nagini would have to do is flex to shatter the cabinet into pieces, but it seemed the cabinet wasn’t at all what she was after, but a locked box on top of it. He moved to take it from her when she unhinged her jaw at him. He snapped his hand away and Nagini turned back to the box, taking it into her mouth and slowly swallowing it whole. Severus watched as the shadow of the box passed down her long thick body before settling itself, and remained as still as possible while Nagini curled herself back around his own body, settling herself in under his cloak. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long this chapter took to post, its actually been finished for a while but I was busy moving. Its hard to carry everything you own up three flights of stairs and the unearth which identical brown box contains which crap because you marked exactly none of them because you were so certain you'll remember. I offer my humble apologies and this chapter in the hopes that it will be enough


	13. The Mills Grind Slow in a Riverbed Ghost Town

Sirius was laying down on the filthy straw that made up his bed. He’d long since stopped caring about the disgusting state of his cell, he’d been in there too long. Or he thought he had been, time moved strangely here, meant to further disorient the prisoners, anything that could be done to make their lives a little more hellish. He could have been there a few months, a decade or more, and he couldn’t tell. Many times he had considered simply jumping out the window of his cell, Padfoot was thin enough that he could squeeze through before falling into the violet sea outside, if the fall didn’t kill him the water would. Aside from being in a constant state of a typhoon it was also a shark infested shit show, as if the various other monsters in the water weren’t enough. As all the thoughts he had about jumping did, they vanished quickly. He couldn’t die, not without that fucking rat, and not without that bearded fucking liar.    
  
No, they had to go before he could. Pettigrew couldn’t be allowed to live after what he had done to everyone. The betrayal that shaped the world, not only the lives of the best friends he had had nearly all his life, but the world as well. Without him Snake Face could not have set the Prophecy in motion, he never would have been able to find Harry, and do what he did. Sirius knew that even if Pettigrew hadn’t been a weak link and sold them out Dumbledore would have found a way to create his vision. Found a way for things to be exactly where they were now, manipulating everyone around him to play right into whatever game of so-called greater good.    
  
At the center of it all was poor little Harry. He should have sensed something was wrong when Hagrid, too trusting for his own good showed up asking for Harry. Sirius would regret that action for the rest of his days, however many of them there were. Now there was little he could do, stuck in here, leaving innocent Harry at the mercy of the old man’s chess game. How could he have been so foolish and blind? Peter had always been the weakest link, always the first to crack under pressure, of course no one would suspect him, but they would have questioned him anyways.    
  
Sirius’s daydreams of the hideous ass-beating he planned to bestow upon those who had wronged him were interrupted by the door of his cell opening. Two wizards came in and dragged him out wordlessly. Sirius writhed and kicked out, biting and snarling at them to no avail. He was taken to a part of Azkaban he had never seen before. Not that he had seen much beyond his cell. He was chained to the table by his hands, and the chair by his middle. Only then was he told he had visitors.    
  
“Greetings, Lord Black.”    
  
He looked up at his two guests, anyone calling him that would be some Death Eater, assuming he had done them and their disgusting Lord a favor. He wanted to curse and lash out at them, even if they were the first human being he had seen in ten years. No Dememtors here, everything fell together much more smoothly. He would have to carve this into his cell somewhere once he got back. Any kind of gauge to know what was going on by. One of them was pulling out some odd device from its outer coat. He had an outer coat, not a cloak. In fact, they were both dressed in what looked like a mesh of both muggle and wizarding garb. Before Sirius could ask anything one conjured up a large glass of water, clean, clear water.    
  
One of them pushing it to him was all it took before he was sucking it down as fast as he could, it filled for him several times, letting him drink his fill. He could care less if it was poisoned, or potioned, it was  _ clean _ . Once he had finished, breathing heavily, he noticed that he was cleaner than he had been in years, they had cast a few simple hygiene charms on him. And now the other one was pulling out a thermos of beautiful smelling broth, which too, was for him. Sirius sat, holding his thick, stunning broth, looking at the two wizards. Not sure where to start, he kept looking at the lit up device on the table, the one who hadn’t greeted him, an American by the sound of it spoke up.    
  
“A little something of my own design. Based on some muggle tech, added in some magic and now it blocks both muggle and magic forms of surveillance. No one here, the Ministry, or Hogwarts for that matter, will ever know what we spoke about today.”    
  


Sirius barked a laugh. “You could have skipped it, no one cares what happens to us in here, as long as you don’t give me a wand to sneak back in with me.” He was not going to enjoy the cavity search later.    
  
“Nevertheless, we both felt it better to be safe, in this case.” Said the one who had greeted him to begin with, before continuing. “We are here because we know you are innocent of the crime you were committed for. We are also here, because as the guardians of Harry Potter, we feel you deserve to be there with him as he grows.”    
  


That got his attention. They must have been friends of Lily’s, he had known every single person James ever would have trusted Harry with. He took several deep breaths, his eyes growing hot. Their knowledge of his innocence was put to the back of his mind as they slid three photographs towards him. Sirius let the tears fall as he saw Harry. He was so big now! Running around with a smile on his face, surrounded by at least half a dozen dogs. Another one was Harry sleeping in some sort of alcove, his backside on the cushion and his head down on the floor, snoring as his shirt rode up, glasses askew. Sirius looked at the last one, which simply had Harry staring back out, shyly waving, with a timid smile on his face.    
  
“Th-thank you...I haven't seen him since he was just a little baby, he just had a little tuft of hair on his head. Gave Lily the most horrible heartburn.” Sirius laughed at the memory. “James once told me she managed to get heartburn just from brushing her teeth.” He wiped the tears from his face, and sat up straighter. “I’m sorry, I never greeted you back properly.”    
  
“Ah, the fault is ours, as we never told you our titles. I am Hannibal Graham-Lecter VIII. This is my husband, Dr. William Graham-Lecter.”    
  
“Well met, Lords Graham Lecter. Your kindness, compassion, and generosity will be forever remembered by the House of Black.” Sirius nodded back, in the formal tone that his mother had beaten into him. Once those were dispensed with, they could carry on to the more important aspects of their visit.    
  
Together they told him of how they knew of his innocence, Sirius had known that Snape had turned spy during the end of the war, had heard his wretch of a cousin Bella scream at him many nights. Well, at a brick she had decided was Snape but that was neither here nor there. He gave them all the information he could about Peter Pettigrew, sadly it wasn’t exactly a lot, Britain certainly had no shortage of filthy, disgusting rats, sans toes or otherwise.    
  
The fact that he had never gotten a trial was going to be their mode of getting one, the House of Lecter was ancient and extremely powerful. And apparently the Wizengamot seats being held for the heir of House Malfoy being held by Snape until his godson Draco came of age he was certain to get one. As neither gave any hint of a damn was the wizarding public said about them and it wasn’t common knowledge that they had landed with the care of Harry, so the backlash they would face until his innocence was proved wouldn’t affect the poor kid.    
  
He went back to his cell, in for once, high hopes. Even the brutal cavity search couldn’t crush him as he thought of the taste of freedom. The thought that soon he would meet his godson! Though as the Dementors descended his thoughts were consumed of how much Harry may not want him…   
  
After all, the boy had no memory of him to go on. And he couldn’t ask the boy to leave what was now his family for some man who had just gotten out of prison. Who had left him in the care of rotten Albus Dumbledore and ran off to seek revenge. Sirius knew he would be sent to St. Mungos and then be released into the care of someone who would make sure Azkaban had no lingering effects on his sanity before he even saw Harry. Those two guardians would do that much, he was certain, they wanted what was best for Harry and they were more than aware of Albus Dumbledore’s manipulations, thank Circe.    
  
These new thoughts and emotions were a double edged sword. Soon he would see Harry again, Remus again. But along with them came everything else.    
  
And because of this, the Dementors could not take them from him.


End file.
